Paris tries out driverless buses

Paris tried out its first driverless buses on Monday, with officials predicting a worldwide "revolution" of self-driving vehicles.

The view from the Charles De Gaulle bridge that the buses drive over CC wikimedia/Mbzt

As part of the French capital's effors to reduce the carbon dioxyde emissions, Paris tested driverless electric buses for the first time on Monday.

The test will run until 7 April 2017 and the vehicles, which use a combination of lasers and cameras to detect other objects and people around them, can carry around eight passengers and a transport authority employee.

"Autonomous vehicles represent a revolution for every city on the planet ... which will change our urban environment and public space in a spectacular fashion over the next 20 years," Paris deputy mayor Jean-Louis Missika told reporters.

Paris is not the first French city to try the new buses.

France's second city Lyon had a first experiement with driveless buses in September and decided to keep them on the road .

The Parisian driverless buses run over the River Seine between the Austerlitz and Gare De Lyon railway stations and are free, at least while they are being tested.

Officials hope they can be used to connect suburban railway stations to residential areas in the future.