ISRAEL - Self-Driving Buses Introduced
Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety recently approved a pilot to put self-driving buses on public roads for the first time ever.
The approval allows the ministry to kickstart the second part of its larger pilot program, okayed in 2022, in partnership with Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), Ayalon Highways, and Israel’s biggest bus operator, Egged.
During this trial, an autonomous electric bus will drive through Nahariya’s busiest streets, beginning and ending its 8-kilometer (5-mile) journey at the local mall.
The bus participating in the pilot is able to travel up to 200 km (124 miles) after each charge, accommodating up to 32 passengers.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev told the media that the pilot program puts Israel “at the forefront of global development in vehicle and transportation technologies.”
“Smart transportation companies upgrade the travel experience, help reduce congestion on the roads and, above all, contribute significantly to road safety and the preservation of human life.”
-www.israel21c.org, 25 November 2024
Arno's Commentary
This small nation of 10 million people continues to produce headlines related to technological advances like no other. What is clear is that self-driving technology exists, but it must meet certain standards to be implemented in practice.
We are reminded here of 2 Chronicles 26:15: “And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
