A “smart bus” called the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit, or ART, started a three-month trial run in central China on May 8. It is the world's first driverless rapid bus, National Business Daily.com.cn reported.

ART was developed by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co, a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. The phase-one buses have three carriages, and can carry up to 100 people per carriage.

The vehicle runs without the need for rail and carries as heavy a load as a train, providing a new transportation model in large and medium-sized cities.

Furthermore, the cost to build one kilometer of standard ART is only one-fifth of that for traditional tram systems, which cost 150 million yuan ($22.6 million) to 200 million yuan per km.

ART has an advantage over traditional tram systems in small-and medium-sized cities because it’s cheaper and takes less time to build.

Yibin City in southwest China’s Sichuan province signed an agreement to introduce the smart vehicle in the city on May 8, according to the city mayor.