The first driverless vehicle demonstration on public roads in regional WA has seen the RAC Intellibus® travel 1,235 kilometres in autonomous mode, taking 1,596 passengers for a ride in the City of Busselton.
Ninety-seven per cent of participants positively rated their experience on the driverless bus in Busselton, and 96 per cent of participants said they could see a vehicle like the RAC Intellibus® being used as a future service in WA.
RAC general manager public policy and mobility Anne Still said it was important to engage regional communities to successfully prepare for a future with driverless vehicles.
"Metropolitan and regional areas differ in many ways - from the types of road crashes that occur, to the transport options available - which is why we have made it a priority to engage regional communities as part of our world leading driverless vehicle program," she said.
"The learnings from this project, combined with those from our South Perth trial which has been running since 2016, will give us a more complete picture of the opportunities and challenges driverless technology presents for WA, and indeed the rest of Australia."
Improved road safety, less traffic congestion, lower vehicle emissions and enhanced independence for the young, aging and those with mobility difficulties were the biggest benefits of driverless technology according to participants.
Ms Still said human error was the cause of the vast majority of road deaths and serious injuries, so if they could help safely transition to driverless vehicles sooner, hundreds of Australian lives could be saved, and thousands of serious injuries prevented.
"Gathering the views of the WA public when it comes to this new technology is vital in helping prepare for it, and we're thrilled to have received so much feedback," she said.
"We received terrific support from the City of Busselton and thank them, and the community, for their involvement in this exciting first for WA."
City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said that the RAC Intellibus® experience was positively received by the community.
"The driverless bus experience was very successful, and I would like to thank RAC for partnering with the City of Busselton on this exciting venture," he said.
"We received excellent feedback from locals and visitors alike who enjoyed learning more about driverless vehicle technology while taking in the beautiful sites of the Busselton Foreshore.
"We were very pleased to be involved in such an innovative and safety-focused initiative. Driverless technology is an exciting space offering amazing possibilities - it's great for regional WA to be part of it."