Happy Birthday! The "STL Line 13" is celebrating its first anniversary today. Exactly one year ago, the self-driving bus started operating in Mühlental. Time for a look back.
Projects
29.04.2024It is Saturday, 29 April 2023, 10:00 a.m. in the Schaffhausen Mühlental. A white and red Toyota minibus pulls up at the Bahnhof Nord bus stop. But it's not just any vehicle. Anyone taking a seat on the bus will notice that the vehicle leaves the bus stop bay as if by magic and merges into the traffic. Constantly monitored by a trained safety driver, the bus sets off on its own in the direction of the Stahlgiesserei. It is the first proper operating round of the self-driving ‘STL Line 13’.
One year later, the Swiss Transit Lab can look back on an exciting and eventful time. ‘Rhyder’, as the bus has been called since September 2023, is still in operation; it even recently got a new companion on board in the form of intelligent voice assistant Ivy. A lot has also happened in the last 365 days. Here is an overview:
One year of operation of the ‘STL Line 13’. That's around 1,200 operating hours and almost 4,500 kilometres that the bus has covered automatically in all weathers. The Sensible 4 technology in combination with the robust OEM vehicle from Toyota is extremely reliable and proves its worth in all seasons and weather conditions. The ‘STL Line 13’ is therefore the first pilot project in Switzerland with an automated bus that can be operated without seasonal interruptions. And it should stay that way. The ‘STL Line 13’ continues to wind its way through the Mühlental, now from Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 - 14:00. We look forward to your visit!