NHTSA tells Transdev to end its self-driving school bus pickups
Transdev North America has angered the US DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by transporting kids in a self-driving shuttle. Though the company did get temporary permission to import its autonomous shuttle, neither of the approved reasons included transporting kids, according to the agency. The activity has been called 'irresponsible.'
On its website, Transdev presents what it calls the "first autonomous school shuttle" ever, one it deployed this fall to transport students in Babcock Ranch. According to the website, the autonomous shuttle has a "safety attendant" onboard, but that hasn't stopped the NHTSA from bringing an end to the project.
In a statement published on its website today, the NHTSA said that Transdev was never granted permission to transport children in a self-driving school bus. Rather, the company received temporary permission to demonstrate and test its shuttle, the agency says, neither of which includes operating it as a school bus.
The NHTSA goes on to say that the company neither disclosed nor received permission for its autonomous school shuttle. All school buses must been subjected to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards pertaining specifically to transporting children. The company may be slapped with a civil penalty as a result of the action, and it may also face having its vehicle exported and its authorization voided.
In a statement, NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King said:
Innovation must not come at the risk of public safety. Using a non-compliant test vehicle to transport children is irresponsible, inappropriate, and in direct violation of the terms of Transdev's approved test project.