The Mercedes-Benz Future Bus’ CityPilot technology is based on Highway Pilot system found in the autonomous Mercedes-Benz Actros truck, but with adaptations that make it suited to an urban environment. As a result, the bus is able to recognise and communicate with traffic lights, allowing it to drive through the junctions they control…

Using cameras and radar systems to scan and monitor its surroundings, along with a GPS system which locates the vehicle to within centimetres, the Future Bus has made its first public journey, a 20km trip from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to the nearby town of Haarlem.

The route involves bends, tunnels and traffic lights, all of which the bus successfully navigated without incident.There was still a driver on the bus who put the vehicle into autonomous mode prior to the journey, however.