Friesland village launches first self-driving bus service in Netherlands

The first driver-less bus service in the Netherlands launched in the Friesland village of Appelscha on Tuesday. This is a six week long test on an alternative form of public transport, which is increasingly disappearing from sparsely populated regions, NOS reports. The completely electric bus has enough space for six passengers. There is also a steward on board in case something goes wrong. The self-driving buses only travel in the day and in good weather. They also have a maximum speed of only 15 kilometers per hour, so perhaps not the best choice if you are in a hurry. The shuttles travel a range of 2.5 kilometers between the National Forestry Service's visitors center and the Wester Es.