Singleton Council is proposing the use of a driverless bus to transport people on a 6km stretch 
of the Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. The autonomous vehicle, will transport visitors to Hunter Valley wine region between wineries, restaurants and accommodation. The application of the new technology makes a lot of sense, given the obvious difficulties getting designated drivers in a great wine region.
The council has put forward a proposal to Transport for NSW to utilise the Smart Shuttle that is being trialled at Sydney Olympic Park. However, this technology isn’t new, with a driverless transport pod in operation at Heathrow Airport T5 for over 5 years.
The new technology will do more than transport visitors. Interest in autonomous vehicles is at an all-time high, and will generate visitors in its own right who are keen to experience the new technology. It will also stimulate jobs in technology in an area focused on hospitality and mining.
While self-driving cars are continuing to develop, it is the application of driverless buses or transport pods that are likely to be first experience people have of the new technology. The time taken to deploy and test the technology in Sydney Olympic Park up areas is over 12 months. However, the time in to test in regional areas will be half that, given the lower traffic levels and easier traffic situations to navigate.
The lower operating costs of the driverless buses will mean that they can be deployed on routes in regional centres that no are no longer feasible to operation with a normal bus service. This will not only improve regional transport, but also include stimulate economic development and improve transport for mobility limited passengers
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The proposed bus the Ohmio LIFT developed and manufactured by HMI Technologies in New Zealand. It uses similar systems to the Waymo and other driverless cars, including Lidar, global position and cameras.