PINGSHAN District has issued free monthly cards for commuters to try out the driverless bus near Pingshan Railway Station, DT News reported.

Commuters who have successfully applied for the card can take free rides on the driverless bus near Pingshan Railway Station.

They can check the location and estimated arrival time of the bus using their phones, and board the bus by scanning the barcode on its miniprogram.

As the primary transportation hub in eastern Shenzhen, Pingshan Railway Station handled 20,000 passenger trips daily over the past two years, and the peak could exceed 30,000 passenger trips.

As bus routes near the station have increased, this circular driverless bus route debuted.

The driverless bus route, Shenzhen Robo-Bus Line Q1, extends 5 kilometers, calling at 10 stops, including Pingshan Railway Station, Pingshan Theater, Pingshan Experimental School, Pingshan District Government and some housing estates and office buildings.

The bus operates from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, with nine passenger seats and one seat for a “driver.” The “driver” is not a real driver but a supervisor to safeguard the bus operation.

The bus operates automatically with the driverless system developed by QCraft, a self-driving technology company.

The 5.9-meter-long bus can monitor the surrounding situation with a 200-meter radius and is designed to travel at speeds of 20-50 kilometers per hour.

It can avoid pedestrians, vehicles and obstacles, change lanes, make turns and recognize traffic lights. (Chen Siqi)