Starting at the end of this month, two autonomous shuttle light buses will begin a trial run at Fairview Park in Yuen Long for about seven months. Residents will be able to use the driverless vehicles as they shuttle along a 2.5km loop road in the housing estates.

While both light buses have similar specifications, one has 12 seats and the other has eight seats, including a space accessible to wheelchair users.

Trial run

The light buses, which use an autonomous driving system developed by the Automotive Platforms & Application Systems R&D Centre, feature an artificial intelligence (AI) system that replaces human drivers. There are 15 radars and recognition cameras installed around the vehicle to gather real-time data about its surroundings.

This, along with self-built high-definition electronic maps and image processing technology, enables the AI system to analyse road conditions and achieve precise positioning. Additionally, 5G technology is utilised to monitor the vehicle’s condition in real time through smart lampposts.

The centre has been developing and testing this autonomous driving system for two years. Such testing, including road tests on the Mainland for initial vehicle safety and reliability, paved the way for the trial run in Fairview Park.

“In Fairview Park, I think the road itself is very suitable for doing autonomous vehicle (AV) testing, because the road is quite wide and it has a lot of speed bumps. So the average speed of cars on the road is quite slow,” Automotive Platforms & Application Systems R&D Centre Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Cheung explained.

Before the trial run, the system was tested and adjusted for about six or seven months.

“We slow down the bus for the speed bumps in a very smooth manner so that the people who ride on it will feel very comfortable. And apart from that, when the AV is parked or moved into the bus stop, we ensure that it is parked as close as possible to the bus stop. For a normal driver, it is easy, but for the autonomous vehicle, we need to do a lot of adjustments to do it that way.”

Mr Cheung pointed out that the centre also made some adjustments to the system to make sure that the AVs can drive safely when entering junctions.

Enhancing safety

To ensure driving safety, the Transport Department carefully reviewed various information submitted by the applicant, including relevant test reports of the same types of vehicles on the Mainland, before the trial run. Additionally, the two autonomous light buses had to undergo inspection.

“During the trial, we limit the testing speed and testing routes as well as verify the qualifications of the backup operator. Such things are under the Transport Department’s supervision,” Transport Department Chief Electrical & Mechanical Engineer (Bus Safety) Janet Lam emphasised.

Technologically advanced

Along with the Fairview Park project, there are currently eight autonomous vehicles undergoing trials across the city. All of them have reached Level 4 of the six autonomous driving levels when it comes to international standards, which is on par with that of the Mainland and also the rest of the world.

To provide more flexibility for the industry to conduct trials and utilise autonomous vehicle technology, Ms Lam added that the Government implemented new legislation in March.

“Under the new regulation, the autonomous vehicles can be registered and licensed under the licensing system and regulated by the current legislation. They can also have more comprehensive uses, such as the carriage of passengers for hire and reward.”