The wheels are in motion to put self-driving buses on the streets as EU funds are being secured for the project, Transport Malta has assured Times of Malta.
A regulatory framework is also being proposed for the adoption of these autonomous vehicles, it said.
Last May, Transport Minister Ian Borg announced that driverless buses would be tested in the “coming months”, identifying four key routes for the futuristic pilot project.
Six months later, when asked for an update, Transport Malta said that market research into different aspects of the project was underway, including the types of vehicles available on the market.
The agency also said that, over the last few months, the project partners had carried out research to identify the European funding opportunities available and the Transport Ministry was working to secure that funding.
Research was also being done on the communication technology that would be required to operate autonomous vehicles, it added.
“Transport Malta has also taken an active role in the legislative aspect, with the aim to propose a regulatory framework for the adoption of autonomous vehicles in Malta,” it said.
The government body will continue to assist the project leaders, Malta Public Transport, which are collaborating with the University of Malta on the project, it continued.
Borg had made the announcement in a Facebook post, saying the pilot project would be operating between the University of Malta and Mater Dei Hospital, in Republic Street, Valletta, around the Ta’ Qali family park and between Smart City and Esplora.
Self-driving vehicles use onboard sensors to detect the environment around them and are controlled through artificial intelligence.
Some 300 of these vehicles are in operation globally, with Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands and the US among the countries to have already started trialling the technology for public transport. They are designed to eliminate human error that accounts for more than 90 per cent of traffic accidents while other pluses include engines that are completely electric to eradicate emissions.
No timeframes were provided on when the self-driving pilot project would be up and running.