On Saturday, February 28th, Georgia State University’s brand-new self-driving buses hit the streets of Atlanta. Strategically choosing a weekend day to roll out the Waymo-inspired system, GSU ran all of the vehicles through the color-coded routes without the stress of students.
At first, everything appeared to be operating smoothly. The driverless buses obeyed all traffic laws, used their blinkers, and followed the routes correctly. With the exception of a few jaywalker injuries, the system seemed satisfactory.
Unfortunately, on Sunday, March 1st, disaster struck. Students began to notice that the Panther Express buses were up and running. Soon enough, clusters of students were waiting patiently at the bus stops.
Strangely enough, the doors didn’t function properly without a human to control them. GSU forgot to implement an automated system, so the doors were glued shut.
Students were desperate to be shuttled to the library to doomscroll in a productive way. People began clawing at the doors, successfully prying them open after a few minutes. They began filing onto the bus, but didn’t properly secure the doors.
One unlucky student was crushed like Flat Stanley in between the hefty metal opening. The doors refused to separate from his flesh, so he was kept in place as a temporary doorstop.
Once boarded, students quickly realized that there was no driver. One rebellious student took the driver’s seat and began playing with the wheel. They danced to the AI-generated music and played Subway Surfers on the installed screen.
It was all fun and games until the bus shifted into drive and began moving down the street. The student had unknowingly operated in hands-on mode. Their reckless steering led the vehicle into multiple potholes and brushed past countless civilians. After a handful of close calls, the student scurried out of the driver’s seat.
Currently, GSU is working on refining the self-driving buses for the Fall 2026 Semester. They are optimistic that it will be an effective solution to their lack of desire to employ bus drivers and will further test the vehicles over the summer.
