SHENZHEN, known for its high concentration of high-tech companies, plans to open two self-driving bus routes by the end of 2017, Shenzhen Bus Group announced earlier this week.

Four smart buses will be put into operation on the routes. The first route, with 10 stops stretching about 3 kilometers, will pass the campus of the Southern University of Science and Technology. The second route is yet to be confirmed.

Yu Gang, chairman of the group, said technicians are becoming familiar with the navigation and safety control system, and there will still be drivers on the buses to monitor operation during the early stages.

The smart self-driving technology was jointly developed by Shenzhen Bus Group, National Intelligent Transport Systems Center of Engineering and Technology, and Huawei as a test for future smart transportation systems. The electric buses are expected to significantly lower emissions and alleviate traffic jams.

As of the end of August, there had been a total of 16,873 buses running on 1,019 routes in the city. Among them, 88 percent were purely electricity-powered buses.  (Xinhua)