Self-driving minibuses will soon hit Malaga

IN a few months, Malaga City residents will be able to see the first driverless electric vehicles. A project for taking cruise passengers to Malaga city centre in electric  minibuses is currently being studied.

Javier Coleto, one of the managers of Tecnalia Technology Centre, explained that it consists of robotic systems which will be connected to the arriving cruise so the vehicles could be able to pick the passengers up. In addition, the customers could call them through a smart phone app.

However, the vehicles will carry a human driver in the beginning so people can get used to this new way of transport. Regarding their safety, Coleto said they have a computer with all the maps of the places where they are working in high quality 3D. 

Moreover, they have a GPS that connects them to the satellites so they will be able to know where they are at all times. In the event of bumping into someone, they have radars and cameras that make them able to stop when encountering an obstacle. The speed is limited between 25 and 30 km/h.