‘Irresponsible’ tech firm ordered to stop using ‘unlawful’ autonomous school bus

A tech firm has been ordered to stop using an ‘unlawful’ autonomous school bus in Florida.

French firm Transdev had been testing its EZ10 Generation II autonomous shuttle by taking children to and from school, but regulators have demanded the project be stopped in its current form with immediate effect.

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that while approval was given to Transdev in March this year to use the shuttle for testing and demonstration purposes, its use as a school bus wasn’t allowed.

It added that school buses were subject to rigorous federal vehicle safety standards that considered their purpose for carrying children, which the NHTSA described as ‘a vulnerable population’.

Heidi King, NHTSA deputy administrator, 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.”

However, Transdev said it didn’t believe it had done anything wrong. In a statement, the firm said: “This small pilot was operating safely, without any issues, in a highly controlled environment. Transdev believed it was within the requirements of the testing and demonstration project previously approved by NHTSA for ridership by adults and children using the same route.

“Transdev does not – nor would ever – sacrifice safety for progress and is fully committed to compliance with all relevant regulations.”

The NHTSA said Transdev had informed it that it would stop ‘unapproved operations’ of the vehicle.