The New South Wales (NSW) state government will officially launch a two-year trial of autonomous vehicles when the first stage of the trial begins later this month.

During the first stage of the trial, a driverless shuttle bus, which will run autonomously on a pre-programmed route, will undergo tests and safety checks in an off-road environment at Newington Armoury, which is located near the former Olympic village.

Next year, the trial will be extended to roads at Sydney Olympic Park, giving office workers and other members of the public the opportunity to ride in the vehicle.

For Transport Minister Andrew Constance, this trial is all about finding out how this technology can benefit NSW.

“The ultimate goal of the trial is to find the best way to harness the next generation of driverless technology and how to make it work for NSW while also answering questions about how it can improve safety and reliability,” Constance says through an article from the Sydney Morning Herald.
 
Roads Minister Melinda Pavey adds, “there is still some way to go before automated shuttles become common place on Australian roads, but as a government we are ready to take the next step and from here all sorts of possibilities open up for transport in NSW.”

Pavey says that the government wants to use the trials as an opportunity to “develop systems that would allow automated vehicles to be connected to traffic lights and other transport infrastructure, and to the public through devices and applications.”

Driverless bus trials are becoming more and more commonplace in Australia, with a trial launching in Perth last year, and in Darwin this year.

Driverless buses will also be tested at Adelaide Airport and Flinders University, both of which are located in South Australia.