Do You Trust This? Sleeping Bear Dunes Rolls Out Driverless Bus

Popular vacation spot, Sleeping Bear Dunes, in Empire, Michigan is testing out a driverless bus for an entire month.

Personally, the thought of getting on any sort of vehicle without a driver horrifies me.

This electric, driverless bus will make its debut in mid-August thanks to a $250,000 grant to Adastec, a company specializing in autonomous vehicle AI that moved from California to Michigan.

Get our free mobile app

This futuristic bus will be cruising the picturesque Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at the Lake Michigan coastal park. The bus is now open for booking rides, but don’t get too excited as space is limited. And no, it’s not sticking around permanently.

“We’re just like a proving ground, in a sense,”

Scott Tucker, Sleeping Bear Dunes superintendent told MLive. He noted that this is more for research than it is for the usage of tourists.

Luckily, the new technologically advanced bus will have an emergency driver onboard as they test out its features like regenerative breaking (whatever that means). In attendance on the rides will also be two engineers.

At Sleeping Bear, the 27-foot, 21-seat bus will navigate a 7.4-mile, one-way route through a winding coastal forest, featuring both steep climbs and gentle bends. Along the way, passengers will enjoy views of rolling dunes and the picturesque landscapes of both Glen Lake and Lake Michigan. The highlight of the journey is a viewpoint perched atop a 450-foot dune, offering sweeping vistas of the Great Lakes. The Sleeping Bear bus will also make stops at the dune plateau, Lake Michigan and North Bar overlooks.

Michigan's 12 Old-Growth Forests To Visit

These are the 12 old-growth forests you could visit in Michigan. Information on each forest comes from oldgrowthforest.net

Gallery Credit: Tommy McNeill

Rustic Lake Mansion is One Michigan's Most Expensive & Luxurious Airbnbs

Welcome home to the most incredible home on Mullett Lakes Red Pine Point. This beauty in Northern Michigan offers a 9,000 sq ft main house and a 2,600 sq ft carriage house, all located on 2 ½ wooded acres with 100’ on Mullett Lake. With 9 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, there is more than enough room to sleep 22 guests. Guests will enjoy amenities such as; a full-blown workout room, steam shower, sauna, large game room area with an 8’ pool table, and even a beautiful Dublin-style pub bar for entertaining.

The outdoors are as cool as the indoors with a huge backyard for volleyball along with a hot tub and fire pit. Guests can also enjoy time by the lake relaxing on over 1,600 sq ft of decks with a screened gazebo. The pontoon boat is available to rent by the week.

Gallery Credit: VRBO