All posts tagged: buses

Norway Approves Autonomous Buses for Public Roads

Norway Approves Autonomous Buses for Public Roads

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech After a ten-year period of trial and error, officials approved fully autonomous buses for operation in Norway, where they’ll soon mix in with human drivers on public roads. Unlike other autonomous bus initiatives around the world, there will be no human driver behind the wheel whatsoever. The approval, first reported by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), applies to buses operated by Vy, a national state-owned transit company, as well as Kolumbus, the regional transit authority for the Southwest county of Rogaland. Autonomous buses — known as “buses without hands on the wheel” in Norway — have been zipping around Rogaland since 2022, but they’ve always had a driver behind the wheel to monitor the vehicles and step in when needed, per NRK. That the safety monitor is being removed is a massive step for autonomous vehicles in Europe. The approved buses are built by Karsan, a Turkish bus manufacturer. Their e-ATAK model bus is designed to provide a …

A School District Tried to Help Train Waymos to Stop for School Buses. It Didn’t Work

A School District Tried to Help Train Waymos to Stop for School Buses. It Didn’t Work

Published by skeptic

One of the purported advantages of self-driving car tech is that every car can learn from one vehicle’s mistakes. Here’s how Waymo puts it on its website: “The Waymo Driver learns from the collective experiences gathered across our fleet, including previous hardware generations.” But in Austin, Waymo’s vehicles struggled for months to learn how to stop for school buses as drivers picked up and dropped off children. An official with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) alleged that the vehicles had, in at least 19 instances, “illegally and dangerously” passed the district’s school buses while their red lights were flashing and their stop arms were extended rather than coming to complete stops, as the law requires. In early December, Waymo even issued a federal recall related to the incidents, acknowledging at least 12 of them to federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which oversees road safety. According to federal filings, engineers with the self-driving vehicle company had “developed software changes to address the behavior” weeks before. But even after the recall, …

Police close busy Edinburgh road as Lothian Buses halt services in area

Police close busy Edinburgh road as Lothian Buses halt services in area

Published by Sam Flores

A busy road in Edinburgh has been closed by officers due to an incident. Police Scotland personnel can be seen standing around a stationary bus as well as a car on Crewe Road North. One police car and two motorbikes can be seen behind a Lothian Bus. It is not known the exact nature of the incident, or how long the road will remain closed. At around 7.10pm on Monday March 16, Lothian Buses alerted travellers to the road closure and stated they would be unable to serve the area at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement on their website regarding the 14 service they said: “Due to a road closure buses are unable to serve Crewe Road North and part of Boswall Parkway and are instead diverted via West Granton Road and Pilton Drive North in both directions until further notice.” Meanwhile on the 22 and 38 services they added: “Due to a road closure buses are unable to serve Crewe Road North and are instead diverted via Ferry Road and …

Hungary’s Orbán, Magyar flex strength at huge rallies as election looms – POLITICO

Hungary’s Orbán, Magyar flex strength at huge rallies as election looms – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó took the stage to claim that Brussels, Kyiv and Berlin “want to bring Europe to war” and “want the money of Europeans to be given to the Ukrainians.” Near Kossuth Square, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Boulevard was at a standstill with dozens of buses still disgorging supporters from the countryside, who had been brought in to offset Budapest’s predominantly opposition voters. High school student Mikolt, 16, and her stay-at-home mother Daniela, 42, were arriving from the village of Eger in the northeast of the country. They said they supported Orbán because he is keeping Hungary out of the war in Ukraine and because he supports Christianity, the family and Hungarians. Tisza volunteers Balázs and Zsigmund on Andrássy Avenue before the march starts. | Max Griera/POLITICO Magyar is a “narcissist,” Daniela said, who “behaves like a wounded little child who no longer has any power” since leaving Fidesz in February 2024. “Russians go home” A 20-minute walk away, the Tisza marchers were beginning to assemble. Volunteers Zsigmund and Balázs, both 18, agreed to talk with …

London Buses Must Now Be Equipped With Stab-Kits

London Buses Must Now Be Equipped With Stab-Kits

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Calls for “bleed kits” to be rolled out across London’s bus network have gained traction, with the London Assembly unanimously backing a motion to install them in major bus stations and trial them on high-risk routes. These kits, designed to stem severe bleeding from deep wounds, are pitched as a lifesaver in emergencies—yet their sudden necessity speaks volumes about the city’s descent into chaos under unchecked policies. The push comes from the London Youth Assembly, highlighting how young people feel increasingly unsafe on public transport. BBC says “deep wound” stab kits are now recommended on London buses for some strange, unstated reasonhttps://t.co/9y3cgbLSj4 — Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) March 11, 2026 As Hugo Maxwell, chair of the London Youth Assembly, put it: “These kits are already in lots of Underground stations but buses are the mode of transport most used by young people and therefore it’s essential that we start the rollout there.” Labour’s transport spokesperson Elly Baker added: “I’ve heard too often from young people that they don’t always feel as safe as they should do travelling… …

Texas migrant buses boosted Donald Trump’s vote share in targeted cities

Texas migrant buses boosted Donald Trump’s vote share in targeted cities

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Sociological Science reveals that a Texas program transporting migrants to cities led by Democratic mayors boosted presidential support for Donald Trump in those specific destinations during the 2024 election. The research shows that the arrival of migrant buses amplified voters’ fears about crime and immigration, pushing swing voters toward the Republican ticket and driving higher turnout among conservative voters. Between 2022 and 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott initiated a policy to transport more than 100,000 recently arrived immigrants from the southern border to six specific cities. These destination cities included Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Each of these urban centers had previously enacted sanctuary ordinances. Sanctuary policies generally protect undocumented immigrants by limiting how much local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration authorities. By sending buses to these locations, Texas officials created a highly visible migration event far from the actual border. Sociologists and political researchers have studied how communities respond to sudden changes in their populations for decades. A central idea in this field …

Six people taken to hospital after two double-decker buses crash | UK News

Six people taken to hospital after two double-decker buses crash | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Six people have been taken to hospital after two double-decker buses collided in south London, emergency services have said. The crash happened at 8.05am on Wednesday and involved a route 35 bus colliding into a route 333 bus that was not in service, according to Transport for London (TfL). Pictures from the scene appeared to show one of the buses ended up very close to the window frontage of a theatre – Southwark Playhouse Borough – in Newington Causeway, Southwark. The other bus seemed to have smashed into the back of the vehicle. A number of people were treated at the scene and six were taken to hospital, said the London Ambulance Service. Image: Pic: PA The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 8.06am. The London Ambulance Service said it sent ambulances and paramedics in fast-response cars to the site. A hazardous area response team was also deployed to the scene. Police said none of the injuries were believed to be life-changing or life-threatening. The road was closed in both directions following the incident. …

Electric school buses arrive in Long Island with new Zenobē launch

Electric school buses arrive in Long Island with new Zenobē launch

Published by skeptic

Zenobē is teaming up with the Trans Group and Educational Bus Transportation (EBT) to electrify the Copiague Public Schools bus fleet in Long Island, NY, helping the district’s 4,500 students to cleaner, healthier transportation. Paid for in part by the New York School Bus Incentive Program administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), fully 10 battery electric school buses are set to be placed into service providing zero-emission transportation for Copiague’s 4,500 K-12 students, with Zenobē covering additional costs, and managing the fleet’s charging infrastructure as part of a “turnkey service” offering for school districts looking to electrify. “As a long-time provider of transportation services to Long Islanders, we’re excited to continue the process of bringing clean school buses to our students and drivers,” said Tim Flood, Executive Vice President, The Trans Group. “The combination of NYSERDA funding and Zenobē’s experience and knowledge are vital to keep our successful transition to clean rides for our students on track.” Programs like the New York School Bus Incentive Program are funded by …

Meet the Americans trading brick-and-mortar homes for converted buses and the open road

Meet the Americans trading brick-and-mortar homes for converted buses and the open road

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Forget the RV. Young people are trading in traditional homes for the yellow school buses many remember from childhood as a way to live both a minimalist lifestyle and avoid the rising cost of owning a home. Known as “skoolies,” the growing trend involves converting decommissioned school buses into full-time living spaces, blending DIY renovation with the flexibility of life on the road. What began as a niche project has gained traction online, with thousands documenting their builds on TikTok, YouTube and Reddit — often framing bus life as a cheaper, freer alternative to homeownership. The rise of skoolie living comes as many Gen Z and millennial Americans face soaring housing costs and limited access to affordable homes, forcing them to search for cheaper, …

US Safety Board Opens Probe Into Waymo Robotaxis Passing Stopped School Buses

US Safety Board Opens Probe Into Waymo Robotaxis Passing Stopped School Buses

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) – The U.S. ‌National ​Transportation Safety Board said ‌on Friday it is opening an investigation into self-driving ​car company Waymo after its robotaxis illegally passed stopped school buses in ‍Austin, Texas, at least 19 ​times since the start of the school year. The Alphabet unit in ​December recalled ⁠more than 3,000 vehicles to update the software that had caused vehicles to drive past stopped school buses that were loading or unloading students, increasing the risk of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened ‌a probe in October into Waymo vehicles near school buses. Waymo said ​Friday there ‌were no collisions in ‍the ⁠incidents and said its self-driving system known as the Waymo Driver “safely navigates thousands of school bus encounters weekly across the United States, and the Waymo Driver is continuously improving.” Waymo added it is “confident that our safety performance around school buses is superior to human drivers.” In a November 20 letter posted by NHTSA, ​the Austin Independent School District said five incidents occurred in November after Waymo …