Out of the box How to cope with driverless bus
The self driving buses, which are expected to appear on the roads in the near future, will destroy the jobs for drivers, but will create new jobs.

It is relatively easy to implement self driving buses as they run on fixed routes and can be programed to handle fewer contingencies. It is more difficult to implement self driving cars which have to deal with more unexpected situations.

The self driving buses have an additional challenge. It has to handle the alighting and boarding of passengers and ensure that the passengers tapped the fare cards. 

I suggest that the additional challenge be handled by a conductor. The main job is to ensure that passengers tap their fare cards and to give route information and assistance to passengers. This provides the human touch.

If passengers at the bus stop wish to board an oncoming bus, they can press a button to pass a signal to the bus. A separate button can be reserved for each bus service.

The bus can have sensors to ensure that the passengers have alighted and boarded the bus before it close its doors and move off.

If there is a technical problem, the conductor can take over the control functions.

There is cost saving in the labor. Driving requires a higher level of skill and training and demand higher wages. The job of a conductor is easier and can command lower wages. 

It is also possible to engage older workers to be conductors and to put them on a half day shift. This allows more workers to be employed. The half day shift will be less demanding and stressful for the workers.

Although the conductors earn a lower wage than a driver, the elderly worker may find it to be adequate as their financial needs are lower and their children would have grown up to be adults.

If a person is employed to be the conductor, the artificial intelligence that is needed for the driverless bus will be less complex. It will be faster to get the driverless bus into operation.

The introduction of self driving buses can provide a more reliable bus service, preserve jobs and reduce operating costs.

Tan Kin Lian
 

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