Feds Shut Down Self-Driving School Bus Pilot In Florida

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Feds Shut Down Self-Driving School Bus Pilot In Florida

Posted by BeauHD on Monday October 22, 2018 @01:40PM from the bus-stop dept.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday ordered the French transportation company Transdev to stop transporting schoolchildren in a self-driving vehicle in Florida. Ars Technica reports: Transdev's pilot project in Babcock Ranch, a planned community, was quite modest. On Fridays, Transdev's electric shuttle would take a group of elementary-aged children to school, then take them home later in the day. The vehicle had a safety driver on board. The route was short enough that kids walked or rode their bikes to school the other four days of the week, according to a spokeswoman for Babcock Ranch. "The shuttle travels at a top speed of 8mph, with the potential to reach speeds of 30mph once the necessary infrastructure is complete," an August press release stated.

So why did the feds shut down this project while allowing lots of others to continue with minimal oversight? NHTSA points to two factors. One is that Transdev is a French company. Different countries have different safety standards, so vehicles designed overseas often can't be used in the U.S. without special permission from U.S. regulators. NHTSA granted Transdev a temporary importation authorization to test its driverless shuttle in the United States. "Transdev requested permission to use the shuttle for a specific demonstration project, not as a school bus," NHTSA said in its Friday statement. "Transdev failed to disclose or receive approval for this use." The other issue, of course, is that the project involves kids. For obvious reasons, federal regulators are going to be extra wary of testing experimental technology on schoolchildren.

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Who dafuq approved this? by Snotnose · 2018-10-22 13:47 · Score: -1, Flamebait

Forget about the kids on the bus, they ain't mine so when a bug is found so sad, too bad, I'm good. But I drive on those roads. If that damned bus hits me I'm toast. This is a problem.

Gonna be fun reading the comments to this :)
1. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:03 · Score: 0
  
  Florida Man approved it obviously
2. Re:Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:08 · Score: -1
  
  Níggers! Coons! Jigaboos! Porch monkeys! Yard apes! Spooks! Darkies! Moon crickets!
3. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by BeauHD++(19)+BeauHD · 2018-10-22 14:09 · Score: 0
  
  Jeb Bush would of been WAY better then what we got. Careful what you wish for.
4. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:56 · Score: 0
  
  Because safety regulations are more strict in the US compared to France or the rest of the World? Riiiiight
5. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by b0s0z0ku · 2018-10-22 14:58 · Score: 1
  
  US is pretty strict (overly so in some ways) on auto safety. Though in the end, US safety regulations are more DIFFERENT, rather than better than EU rules. They're kept different for protectionist reasons.
6. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 15:00 · Score: 0
  
  My god, you're a fucking moron. Two Bushes driving this country straight into the ground wasn't enough?
7. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 15:16 · Score: 0
  
  That explains why thereâ(TM)s no European cars in the USA.
8. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by b0s0z0ku · 2018-10-22 15:19 · Score: 1
  
  IDK if you're being sarcastic, but the European cars in the US are built to US rules, and are somewhat different than their local-market models.
9. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 15:25 · Score: 0
  
  Found Mr. Florida Man.
10. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by arth1 · 2018-10-22 17:28 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  European cars in the US are built to US rules, and are somewhat different than their local-market models.
  Indeed. Some of the differences can include:
  - No differentiated fuel tank holes to only fit nozzles giving the right fuel.
  - No key lock on the fuel cap.
  - Rear fog lights are usually disconnected, because Americans have no restraint and think they should be used when visibility is more than 10m/30ft.
  - No splash guards.
  - No knock-off safety mirrors, hood ornaments or antennas.
  - No way to manually disable airbags (like for transporting elderly or backward facing child seats)
  - No orange rear blinkers.
  - No warning triangle or safety vests.
  - Yellow headlights (which penetrate fog better) are not allowed.
  - For older cars, no longwave radio.
  - For newer cars, no DAB+ radio.
  - For FM, only bands 9 kHz apart are available, not switchable to 10 kHz.
  - No Galileo satellites on the nav system, only GPS and GLONASS. Galileo has too good resolution to have been approved.
  - For cars with hotspot functionality, no WiFi channels 12-14 on the 2.4 GHz band.
  - Voice assistants are female sounding, not male. ... and commonly softer suspension and wider seats.
11. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by religionofpeas · 2018-10-22 18:01 · Score: 1
  
  Cars sold in the US also require at least 1 big gulp sized cup holder per seat.
12. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 18:31 · Score: -1
  
  yep, they can be much looser on emissions controls, fuel consumption and safety for those targeting the US market. The US rules cater to the US manufacturers, if it wasn't for tarrifs and subsidies the US car makers would be long dead.
13. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 18:32 · Score: 1
  
  Additionally, in the US, airbags have to be dimensioned for drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts, while in Europe and elsewhere, they are required to be dimensioned for drivers and passengers who do.
14. Re:Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 20:42 · Score: 0
  
  Gonna be fun reading the comments to this :)
  Did you come here to just get a quick fix, or is trolling more of a full-time thing for you?
  Just curious.
15. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 20:59 · Score: 0
  
  European cars in the US are built to US rules, and are somewhat different than their local-market models.
  Indeed. Some of the differences can include:
  - No differentiated fuel tank holes to only fit nozzles giving the right fuel.
  - No key lock on the fuel cap.
  - Rear fog lights are usually disconnected, because Americans have no restraint and think they should be used when visibility is more than 10m/30ft.
  - No splash guards.
  - No knock-off safety mirrors, hood ornaments or antennas.
  - No way to manually disable airbags (like for transporting elderly or backward facing child seats)
  - No orange rear blinkers.
  - No warning triangle or safety vests.
  - Yellow headlights (which penetrate fog better) are not allowed.
  - For older cars, no longwave radio.
  - For newer cars, no DAB+ radio.
  - For FM, only bands 9 kHz apart are available, not switchable to 10 kHz.
  - No Galileo satellites on the nav system, only GPS and GLONASS. Galileo has too good resolution to have been approved.
  - For cars with hotspot functionality, no WiFi channels 12-14 on the 2.4 GHz band.
  - Voice assistants are female sounding, not male. ... and commonly softer suspension and wider seats.
  Why are you listing radio frequencies and other things that wouldn't make any sense in the US?
  We also haven't allowed a lot of vehicles from Europe because they cannot meet emissions standards, and a lot more that don't meet crash standards.
  Incidentally, my van has rear orange (amber) turn signals. I've seen plenty of Chevrolet trucks with them too. They are not required, but they are not banned either.
16. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 21:09 · Score: 0
  
  If a vehicle does not meet US crash test requirements, it cannot meet the stricter requirements in Europe either.
17. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by cascadingstylesheet · 2018-10-23 00:06 · Score: 1
  
  European cars in the US are built to US rules, and are somewhat different than their local-market models.
  Indeed. Some of the differences can include: - No differentiated fuel tank holes to only fit nozzles giving the right fuel. - No key lock on the fuel cap. - Rear fog lights are usually disconnected, because Americans have no restraint and think they should be used when visibility is more than 10m/30ft. - No splash guards. - No knock-off safety mirrors, hood ornaments or antennas. - No way to manually disable airbags (like for transporting elderly or backward facing child seats) - No orange rear blinkers. - No warning triangle or safety vests. - Yellow headlights (which penetrate fog better) are not allowed. - For older cars, no longwave radio. - For newer cars, no DAB+ radio. - For FM, only bands 9 kHz apart are available, not switchable to 10 kHz. - No Galileo satellites on the nav system, only GPS and GLONASS. Galileo has too good resolution to have been approved. - For cars with hotspot functionality, no WiFi channels 12-14 on the 2.4 GHz band. - Voice assistants are female sounding, not male. ... and commonly softer suspension and wider seats.
  That just gives you a frisson of excitement to type that, doesn't it?
18. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by drinkypoo · 2018-10-23 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  No differentiated fuel tank holes to only fit nozzles giving the right fuel.
  We don't have that either. You can get the gasoline nozzle into the diesel tank. It is physically possible to do, though. You'd have to make the nozzles different shapes, not just different sizes. Round for gasoline, square for diesel, and triangular for ethanol fuels. If you make them all the right size, then none of them can fit into one another's ports. Sadly, they didn't do this anywhere in the world that I know of.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
19. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 01:35 · Score: 0
  
  I don't know where you get your information, but almost everything you posted is wrong or irrelevant. I was going to enumerate, but about the only ones that hold weight are the differentiated fuel tank holes (apparently Americans are smart enough to tell the difference between the diesel pump and gasoline pump without needing different shapes), the FM bands (which I actually believe can be changed by software, no point supporting bands that aren't legal in the US, almost all countries have their own bands, this isn't specific to the US) and no Galileo support, I honestly don't know if US systems support it or not, but seeing as Galileo isn't expected to hit full operational state till next year, it doesn't really make sense to ship support for a feature that doesn't exist yet.
  Every other one of your claims is....just wrong. Hell, my 8 year old car has pretty much all the others, and the others I haven't even seen as standard on cars in Europe, though I have seen as available options in the US. And yes, my car has the ability to disable the front airbag. It's a legal requirement if you have a car seat there.
20. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by houghi · 2018-10-23 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  Text in the mirror explaining how a mirror works.
  
  --
  Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
21. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 05:59 · Score: 0
  
  Even the diameter difference between petrol and diesel nozzles is an accident of history. They used to be identical for diesel and leaded petrol, but for unleaded petrol, a smaller diameter was introduced to prevent people from filling up catalytic converter-equipped petrol cars with leaded petrol. Now that leaded petrol is long gone, it has become simply the difference between eptrol and diesel nozzles.
22. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 06:04 · Score: 0
  
  Not sure your personal experience is relevant.
23. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by arth1 · 2018-10-23 06:42 · Score: 1
  
  Why are you listing radio frequencies and other things that wouldn't make any sense in the US?
  Because on European cars, you are generally allowed to make a choice (either through menu choices or dip switches), and it only defaults to the local configuration. But if the same car is shipped to the US, that choice has to be removed. You cannot have a car-installed receiver that can receive a 87.5 FM station, even if you drive to somewhere where there is such a station.
24. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by arth1 · 2018-10-23 06:49 · Score: 1
  
  On my BMW, the overlay text now says "Objects in the mirror are losing"...
25. Re: Who dafuq approved this? by ncc74656 · 2018-10-23 07:07 · Score: 1
  
  We don't have that either.
  
  We did at one time. Nozzles that dispensed leaded gasoline were larger than those that dispensed unleaded. Vehicles built for unleaded fuel only had a smaller hole that wouldn't accept the larger nozzle. Even though leaded fuel hasn't been sold here for decades (think it was phased out sometime in the mid-'80s), smog-check technicians still check for the nozzle restrictor on 1975 and newer vehicles, and will fail your vehicle if it doesn't have one.
  
  --
  20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
Feds? by msauve · 2018-10-22 13:55 · Score: 1

"So why did the feds shut down this project while allowing lots of others to continue...?"

Why are the feds even involved? This isn't a issue regarding interstate commerce, which is the most disingenuous excuse they have.

--
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
1. Re:Feds? by iggymanz · 2018-10-22 13:57 · Score: 0
  
  and you think the Feds aren't involved in international commerce?
  hint, they are
2. Re: Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:03 · Score: 0
  
  Uh, hello, please go look up what the words in NHTSA are. Hint: see first sentence of article for help.
  Please pay special attention to these key words:
  National - this the Feds are involved
  Safety - dont get kids or other civilians killed
  Highway and Traffic - thus cars, buses, trucks, etc fall into their realm
  Please do not ever vote.
  Please do not ever breed.
  If you have already then kill your children.
  After you have killed your children, if any, kill yourself.
3. Re: Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:04 · Score: 0
  
  What the fuck is wrong with you? Interstate turned into international in between the post you read and your reply? Or is your attention span inter spatial?
4. Re: Feds? by iggymanz · 2018-10-22 14:13 · Score: 1
  
  No, they have mandate to be involved in both
  Go to the Dept. of Commerce web site and have a look at the international section.
5. Re:Feds? by msauve · 2018-10-22 14:14 · Score: 0
  
  You obviously don't understand the difference between "interstate" (i.e. US states, and the Constitutional role of the Federal government) and nations (e.g. "international").
  
  Please STFU until you do, unless you want to continue embarrassing yourself.
  
  --
  "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
6. Re: Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:21 · Score: 0
  
  .... If you have already then kill your children.
  After you have killed your children, if any, kill yourself.
  Amazing. Just a few posts in we have a slashdot comment pushing for child murder posted to an article about a slow moving school bus.
  Internet road rage in action.
7. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:26 · Score: 0
  
  The "N" in NHTSA stands for "National" which can in this particular case can also be defined as "Federal". And every single interstate highway in the country falls under Federal regulatory jurisdiction. Any state wishing to ignore the Federal regulations pertaining the use of the interstate highways are free to do so if they are also willing to forgo receiving any money from the Federal government to maintain and expand the interstate highways within their state.
  This project was shutdown because nobody in their right mind is going to allow self driving technology to be tested with children playing the role of crash dummies. Just one mishap and anyone involved with allowing the testing to take place would be crucified.
8. Re:Feds? by Waffle+Iron · 2018-10-22 14:58 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  If you'd bother to read the summary, this experiment was being run by a foreign company, making it an international affair; states do not have jurisdiction over international commerce. The foreign company apparently didn't adhere to the rules for the special driver's permit granted by the Federal Government to let their foreign software drive on US roads, so they got shut down.
9. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 15:10 · Score: 0
  
  Why is msauve involved with so many blowjobs? You are a fucking moron. Kill yourself. Do the world a favor you fucking dipshit.
10. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 15:13 · Score: 0
  
  You have proven that 'yes, someone really can be this fucking stupid' good job. You fucking moron.
11. Re:Feds? by BitterOak · 2018-10-22 15:28 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  "So why did the feds shut down this project while allowing lots of others to continue...?" Why are the feds even involved? This isn't a issue regarding interstate commerce, which is the most disingenuous excuse they have.
  Interstate commerce has generally been considered by the courts to include international commerce, and this is a French company doing business in Florida. If this were a Florida based company, I would agree, the feds would have no jurisdiction.
  
  --
  If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
12. Re:Feds? by iggymanz · 2018-10-22 15:46 · Score: 1
  
  my point was the Dept. of Commerce deals with BOTH, which seems to be lost on you. Until you learn what authority the Department of Commerce and the Federal government have in both realms, I suggest you keep your ignorant uniformed spew to yourself
13. Re: Feds? by TheMeuge · 2018-10-22 17:11 · Score: 1
  
  Because when the people who headed this project wondered: "what would be a perfect test bed for a new and untested technology?", They came up with the only logical answer: "a bus full of children, of course!"
  What the duck?
14. Re: Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 20:13 · Score: 0
  
  It is not about children getting randomly murderedby a French company.
  It is about killing off an obviously defective gene line to improve the human raceâ(TM)s long term chance of survival.
  Children of a lesser God, so to speak.
15. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 20:52 · Score: 0
  
  "So why did the feds shut down this project while allowing lots of others to continue...?"
  Why are the feds even involved? This isn't a issue regarding interstate commerce, which is the most disingenuous excuse they have.
  
  "Different countries have different safety standards, so vehicles designed overseas often can't be used in the U.S. without special permission from U.S. regulators."
  Last I checked, the US Department of Transportation wasn't some tiny organization ran by the local sheriff...
16. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 01:49 · Score: 0
  
  Even if it was a Florida based company, the NHTSA would almost certainly still have jurisdiction. You see, the federal government will often provide funding for roads, and one of the conditions of accepting that funding is that everything that happen on those roads be under the supervision of the NHTSA. And I'd be willing to bet a pay check or two that Florida has accepted federal funding for their roads.
17. Re:Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 05:04 · Score: 0
  
  The FDA should be shutting this down. Children can't consent to this experimental testing. Where is the ethics of this company? Please don't bother to speculate that they have consent of the community. I know that the parents had no idea this was happening.
18. Re: Feds? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 06:54 · Score: 0
  
  In Florida, anyone under 60 is classified as a child.
19. Re:Feds? by BitterOak · 2018-10-23 10:54 · Score: 1
  
  Even if it was a Florida based company, the NHTSA would almost certainly still have jurisdiction. You see, the federal government will often provide funding for roads, and one of the conditions of accepting that funding is that everything that happen on those roads be under the supervision of the NHTSA. And I'd be willing to bet a pay check or two that Florida has accepted federal funding for their roads.
  Generally, the federal government only provides funding for the Interstate highway system, and it's unlikely this bus was on such a highway. Even then, the feds power to regulate is quire limited. A few decades ago, the federal government tried to pass a nationwide 55 mph speed limit and threatened to cut off highway funding for any states which did not comply. So many states simply turned down the funding that the program was eventually scrapped.
  
  --
  If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
The testing of self driving ... by drnb · 2018-10-22 13:57 · Score: 2

The testing of self driving buses, shuttles, etc should only be conducted with the employee buses/shuttles to the google and facebook campuses
1. Re:The testing of self driving ... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:12 · Score: 0
  
  This bus has nothing to do whatsoever with Google or FB, so I'm not sure why you think this school bus needs to be going there?
2. Re:The testing of self driving ... by viperidaenz · 2018-10-22 14:37 · Score: 1
  
  an employee bus from Florida to France would be impressive. at 8 mph though, the journey would be a long one.
3. Re: The testing of self driving ... by Provocateur · 2018-10-22 15:34 · Score: 1
  
  And underwater now, *that* would impress me!
  
  --
  WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
No mention of the bus drivers' union? by schwit1 · 2018-10-22 13:59 · Score: 0

There is no way something like this is going to get off the ground if it takes jobs from SEIU members.
This is a terrible idea by magzteel · 2018-10-22 14:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

Kids will be running for the bus, crossing streets in front of it, etc. .
Part of the school bus driver's job is to keep kids safe both inside and outside the bus. This takes experience and awareness. I have no doubt the self driving bus can drive from point A to B. I have no confidence in it's ability to anticipate all the dumb things kids do.
1. Re:This is a terrible idea by viperidaenz · 2018-10-22 14:38 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Kids do less damage to the expensive sensors on the front of the bus when they're hit, due to their smaller size.
2. Re:This is a terrible idea by HornWumpus · 2018-10-22 14:56 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  What is the right automated driver response to back window 'mooning'/'pressed fruit bowls' of passing traffic? Lighting up a doobie? Getting in a fight? Bailing from the bus on a later stop? Setting off fireworks? Hanging classmate out window?
  That was just first grade, first week.
  Lane following etc will help the zookeeper, but the real solution is many various sized straight jackets and Lecter racks in place of seats.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
3. Re:This is a terrible idea by b0s0z0ku · 2018-10-22 14:59 · Score: 1
  
  There was still a driver sitting up front in the project.
4. Re:This is a terrible idea by thegarbz · 2018-10-22 21:16 · Score: 1
  
  Kids will be running for the bus, crossing streets in front of it, etc.
  
  All the more reason to have this be handled by a computer system with a instantaneous 360degree view of obstructions rather than some dude driving a truck which by design severely limits his field of vision.
5. Re:This is a terrible idea by Wescotte · 2018-10-22 21:48 · Score: 1
  
  This is where you add in a Boston Dynamics style robot for the last 100 feet. Have them use robots to pickup/deliver kids right at their doorstep. Make it look a little intimidating and you can probably keep kids from goofing off on the bus too!
6. Re: This is a terrible idea by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 21:57 · Score: 0
  
  Add some randomly firing guns to the bus. Then the feds canâ(TM)t touch it, and the kids will be as safe as when in school!
7. Re:This is a terrible idea by Daralantan · 2018-10-22 23:07 · Score: 1
  
  I'll always remember my bus driver when I was in elementary school. He always kept a giant yard stick on the bus. If kids got too loud, he'd slam it into the floor as loud as possible and tell everyone to quiet down.
  He later lost his bus driving license due to getting a ticket for driving his motorcycle at 120mph.
8. Re: This is a terrible idea by JaredOfEuropa · 2018-10-22 23:20 · Score: 1
  
  Self driving bus with weapons and a rogue AI. There's a Mad Max movie in there somewhere...
  
  --
  If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
9. Re:This is a terrible idea by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 02:15 · Score: 0
  
  What is the right automated driver response to back window 'mooning'/'pressed fruit bowls' of passing traffic? Lighting up a doobie? Getting in a fight? Bailing from the bus on a later stop? Setting off fireworks? Hanging classmate out window?
  That was just first grade, first week.
  Lane following etc will help the zookeeper, but the real solution is many various sized straight jackets and Lecter racks in place of seats.
  Some solutions are obvious:
  "Halt! Young person! Report to confinement area. Stop resisting. Stop resisting. Stop resisting." [thump]
10. Re:This is a terrible idea by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 03:36 · Score: 0
  
  Just put in sensors to look for kids and other objects then.
  Will a computer on a self-driving bus stop earlier and more consistently than a human on a regular bus, assuming that 99.999% of time the bus is driving without issue (so fatigue would set in)
11. Re:This is a terrible idea by sjames · 2018-10-23 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  The point is that for a school bus, they will never not need adult supervision, so schoolbus is a poor target for automation in any case.
12. Re:This is a terrible idea by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-24 00:41 · Score: 0
  
  Even it was perfectly safe and tested, politically how did anyone think demonstrating this new technology with school kids would be a good idea?
13. Re: This is a terrible idea by Talderas · 2018-10-24 00:42 · Score: 1
  
  There's a Mad Max movie in there somewhere...
  Hopefully it's Road Warrior or Fury Road and not the original or Thunderdome.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
14. Re:This is a terrible idea by Talderas · 2018-10-24 00:44 · Score: 1
  
  I would draw the opposite conclusion. Self-driving school buses seem like what is needed. The vehicle drives itself while the "driver" can spend his full attention on the passengers rather than having to potentially split it.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
Hmm.. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:27 · Score: 1

Being Trump admin I'm surprised it wasn't shut down due to the bus not being the oldest and most polluting bus available.
haters gonna hate by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:33 · Score: 0

Look, son, today's propaganda is telling the leftists that CALEA is good because republicans are hypocrits becuase the feds can ONLY regulate interstate commerce. Your logic has no place in the echo chamber.
yeah but, 8 mph top speed by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 14:48 · Score: 0

Might be safer than having them walk to school if not much faster
1. Re:yeah but, 8 mph top speed by b0s0z0ku · 2018-10-22 14:56 · Score: 2
  
  Define "safer." Kids getting exercise and being able to be kids is healthier than being in a rolling sensory deprivation cage.
2. Re:yeah but, 8 mph top speed by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 14:40 · Score: 0
  
  But think of the Children!
Luckily there is a Plan B: by Frank+Burly · 2018-10-22 15:02 · Score: 2

A gasoline tanker with a cab full of renaissance paintings and panda cubs.
Planned, "environmentally-sound" community? by b0s0z0ku · 2018-10-22 15:08 · Score: 1, Insightful

LOL, right, then kids should be walking or cycling to school. If it's planned to be environmentally sound, ample space for pedestrians and cyclists should be designed in.
1. Re:Planned, "environmentally-sound" community? by HornWumpus · 2018-10-22 15:42 · Score: 1
  
  You didn't even read the summary.
  You're a shoe in for the next open /. editor job!
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Too early for children by misnohmer · 2018-10-22 17:23 · Score: 1

Self driving is in its infancy (no pun intended) - too early to use school children as test subjects. NHTSA probably doesn't want headlines which some politicians and social outrage leaders could use to stir up public paranoia to get votes for fear-driven legislature in the name of "think of the children!".
1. Re: Too early for children by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 20:18 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah but it is ok for Tesla Uber google and god only knows who else to use the rest of us as involuntary guinea pigs for their alpha level driving software on our roads and highways.
2. Re: Too early for children by Rei · 2018-10-23 01:56 · Score: 1
  
  Driver assist systems (which almost everybody offers in some form or another now - AutoPilot, ProPilot, SuperCruise, etc etc) are quite different from "self driving" systems like Uber and Waymo (and this company) are working towards. The difference being that the former pester you to make sure you're paying attention, while the latter try to never need to pester the "safety driver", and seek to remove them from the equation as quickly as possible.
  
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  "What is the difference between a Ponzi Scheme and an Investment Bank?" -- Jon Stewart
problem(s) solved by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 19:32 · Score: 0

create a fake US corp 100% owned by transdev.
problem solved.
be clever when registering it (who said Delaware) so that you can do tax evasion in US.
2 problems solved.
register a fake EU corp in Irland that will own the US corp so that you can do tax evasion in EU.
3 problems solved.
register a fake NL corp in NL that will own the Irish one so that you can do EVEN MORE tax evasion in EU and maybe even get free money.
4 problems solved.
This is the way it is, until it isn't. by Sqreater · 2018-10-22 20:51 · Score: 0

NASA opposed fueling rockets with people on board. Now it is ok with them. And using kids as guinea pigs for self driving vehicles is not ok, then it will be when the processes of corruption get their game on. Your life and the lives of your children mean nothing when it comes to business. Don't be fooled. They will kill you and your kids to make a buck. Can't people see the lines we are crossing as a society?

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E Proelio Veritas.
1. Re:This is the way it is, until it isn't. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-22 21:11 · Score: 0
  
  Whatever you say chicken little.
2. Re: This is the way it is, until it isn't. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 04:30 · Score: 0
  
  NASA in the past blew rockets to pieces while fueling up and their astronauts sat on top of it. The looked at the issue and found they couldn't make the fueling process failsafe. So they considered it a bad idea.
  Musk/SpaceX looked at the issue and found that they can make the fueling process failsafe and hence NASA is ok that austronauts can board while doing so.
3. Re: This is the way it is, until it isn't. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 06:06 · Score: 0
  
  NASA in the past blew rockets to pieces while fueling up and their astronauts sat on top of it. The looked at the issue and found they couldn't make the fueling process failsafe. So they considered it a bad idea.
  Musk/SpaceX looked at the issue and found that they can't make the fueling process failsafe so they bribed a bunch of senators and forced NASA to agree with their half assed plan. The only thing space ex cares about is money so they will half ass, cut corners, and risk people's lives all so that they can make more money.
  Fixed that for you.
Operating System by XB-70 · 2018-10-23 00:24 · Score: 1

WCPGW: As the feds dug into it, the What Could Possibly Go Wrong operating system was found to be inadequate.

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*** Don't be dull.***
I doubt anyone is surprised by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 01:03 · Score: 0

Seriously, the autonomous '_______' revolution is a pipe dream that nobody asked for. I think it's going to go down in history as the pinnacle of early 21st century Silicon Valley hubris. It isn't a visble solution, the limitations of software are inherent and immutable. It was and is a stupid idea.
huh? by Q2Fred · 2018-10-23 01:29 · Score: 1

BeauHD included a link to a TransDev press release, https://globenewswire.com/news... ,which evidently took the NHTSA two months to read. It clearly states, "Transdev is starting the autonomous school shuttle service this fall to transport students living within the new community to Babcock Neighborhood School." What am I missing here? I have not seen the "agreement" between NHTSA & TransDev. Without viewing the agreement, all this noise is simply bureaucratic posturing. Fred
So simple by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 01:53 · Score: 0

It's CHILDREN stupid. We are OK with adults being killed, but not the precious.
Self-driving cars == "picture phones" by IGnatius+T+Foobar · 2018-10-23 02:38 · Score: 1

Throughout the entire second half of the 20th Century, we were promised "picture phones" -- you'd be able to SEE the person you were talking to! Self-driving cars are going to be the same way. It's going to take 50 years for it to truly arrive in a usable fashion, and when it does, it's not going to look anything like they predicted.

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1. Re:Self-driving cars == "picture phones" by Anonymous Coward · 2018-10-23 10:00 · Score: 0
  
  My bet is that cities will be need to be specially built around the concept. Road markings, signage, lighting, and street maps all need to kept in precise working order to give the sensors an easier time. Pedestrians will be protected by bollards in busier/riskier areas, and may have elevated crossings.
  To get intercity autonomous travel, I assume two separate nearby cities would both go self-driving, then the highway between them would be brought up to the standard. Eventually an entire region would go autonomous.
  Self-driving in more remote areas with questionable road conditions seems a lot more uncertain.
2. Re:Self-driving cars == "picture phones" by IGnatius+T+Foobar · 2018-11-01 02:55 · Score: 1
  
  We have that already. It's called a railroad.
  
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Hmmm by PPH · 2018-10-23 02:39 · Score: 0

The bus in that picture looks mighty short to me. If you get my meaning.
I don't know if I'd want my kids riding on that thing because of the stigma.

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Have gnu, will travel.
1. Re:Hmmm by Major+Blud · 2018-10-24 02:07 · Score: 1
  
  I wish I had points :-)
  
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