Will international schools start using the SEDRIC bus?
Will schools embrace SEDRIC? Source: Shutterstock

Say goodbye to the classic sturdy school bus and say hello to an autonomous electric vehicle that transports young students from one place to the next.

Underpinning urban mobility, SEDRIC the self-driving school bus by Volkswagen, is speeding towards the future of transport.

Seating up to four kids, this mode of transport offers an alternative to busy parent drivers on the frantic school run, as well as campus bus shuttles from on-site accommodation to lessons and sustainability concerns.

Shown for the first time in 2017, it’s unclear whether or not international schools are taking the SEDRIC design seriously. However, a vehicle like this could greatly impact school efficiency.

What are the advantages of the SEDRIC autonomous school bus?

Autonomous vehicles like SEDRIC provide an array of advantages:

  • It uses a OneButton control element to call up a self-driving electric vehicle at the touch of a button.
  • The front windscreen is designed as a large-format organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen that provides onboard entertainment such as films and engaging educational programmes.
  • The bus can recognise a passenger’s face and will then open up the sliding doors, using smart identification technology.
  • It’s environmentally-conscious as it contains birch leather upholstery and the option to add air-purifying plants.
  • It adapts to the personal preferences of passengers by altering the music, temperature and lighting to suit the individual.

Is this the school bus of the future?

When it was first revealed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the company stated that “SEDRIC will drive the children to school and then take their parents to the office, look independently for a parking space, collects shopping that has been ordered, picks up a visitor from the station and a son from sports training – all at the touch of a button, with voice control or with a smartphone app – fully automatically, reliably and safely.”

However, parents and schools will have to take into consideration the cost of purchasing an all-electric bus like SEDRIC, as well as its credibility, to ensure a safe ride for students, as many argue that a bus still needs a driver in order to be safe.

And before you get blown away by its incredible features and technological enhancements, SEDRIC is not yet for sale.

But what do you think?

Does SEDRIC stand a chance to be a go-to school bus or do you think it’s a flash new idea that will drift off into the sunset?

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