For automobile manufacturers in other parts of the world, the news is extremely ambitious but it’s no big for Mercedes Benz to create a bus with autonomous technology and let people use it every day in Europe.

Named as the Future Bus, it has been specifically designed for the Bus Rapid Transit, also known as BRT in Europe. Based on their official statement, the modern buses are capable of touching a top speed of 43.5 miles per hour. It is usually more than enough to cruise around the city and help people reach different spots.

In order to make the journey safer, an advanced camera system has been installed in the traffic lights in the region. They allow the bus to communicate with it and stop or go based on the signal. A similar technology is used to notify the bus of stops where it has to halt and pick up passengers. While the idea is amazing, there is no way the government or companies are going to risk allowing the bus to move without a person. A driver will be seated at all times to monitor if things are smooth and take control of the vehicle if the route is not suitable for the autonomous mode.

Autonomous emergency braking plays a big role in the Mercedes designed bus. It ensures passengers are always safe. Other technology which is part of the Mercedes Benz future bus is the vehicle to infrastructure communication which allows it to be aware of the environment and maintain an appropriate speed level.

Talking about the launch, the automobile brand said that it would have been possible without support from the BRT system. The transport corporation has clearly different routes and separate lanes for their buses which makes it easy to establish autonomous driving technology. It also has planned schedules and a universal procedure to facilitate passengers at bus stops. The overall approach of BRT made it easy for Mercedes to define the rules before they launched the future bus for everyone to make use of.

Specific routes will be covered by the Mercedes Benz Future Bus at the moment. However, it is expected to expand in the country in due time and possibly to other parts of the world. The bus can operate only in routes that are feasible for its autonomous mode to work. Mercedes has promised to work on bringing it to masses in different regions.