Thailand’s first driverless EV bus offers free rides in Ayutthaya
The first driverless electric-vehicle bus in Thailand has been offering trial rides around Ayutthaya Historic Park, in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province. The service will be run for free daily from 09.00 to 17.00 hr, until July 2024.
Granted by the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, worth 27 million baht (US$748 K), and developed by King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, along with a private sector organization, the driverless EV bus is the prototype of an electric driverless vehicle that uses the Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) on 5G technology for the communication system between the bus and the public.
The driverless EV bus with 20 seats provides service via the “5G Auto E-bus” mobile application at its four bus stops, i.e., OTOP Ayutthaya Center, Wat Mahathat, Wat Dhammikaraj, and Wat Phra Ram. The bus travels 2.8 kilometers in total.