We’ve bought one of the world’s first self-driving buses… ok, it’s a 2019 Matchbox toy
Thanks to James Long of Smart Mobility Living Lab (SMLL) on Linkedin for alerting us to the fact that Matchbox have made a self-driving bus toy.
Well, it took a few days but I now own one! A yellow MN1212 from 2019 by designer Abe Lugo.
The website Matchbox Fandom tells us there are others. A blue and white version is reviewed here by BusBoy501 Productions on Youtube:
Unfortunately, he considers it something of a disappointment in modelling terms. “I don’t really care for it,” he says, noting that it is not to the usual 1/64 scale.
He isn’t convinced about real-world deployment either, saying: “I don’t think this is something we’ll see in school transportation for quite some time, if ever.”
He should subscribe to our free Cars of the Future weekly newsletter!
Self-driving (sort of)
As a bonus, I just so happen to own a rather battered example of the first ever Matchbox model – 1953’s Coronation Coach with its team of eight horses.
So, just for fun, here’s the past and future of clean fuel transport:
