Volkswagen's SEDRIC self-driving bus is too cool for school

Getting your kids to school might be a lot easier in an autonomous future – Volkswagen brought its SEDRIC multi-passenger autonomous concept shuttle back to the Geneva Motor Show for a second year in a row to show you exactly how. The SEDRIC School Cool Bus concept vehicle is done up in scholastic yellow, with a large OLED screen inside for entertaining school-age passengers, and bench storage for holding book bags and more.

The pod on wheels design will seat four, which is far less than a current school bus, but you could see a fleet of these working for replacing parent-driven carpools and other more limited-passenger arrangements people use currently to get kids to and from school. this all-electric SEDRIC would be available on-demand via parent hailing with a single button press, and provide door-to-door transport for kids to help ensure safety and peace of mind.

Clear LED signage on the vehicle's exterior will tell other drivers to stop and wait for student crossing, and provide other useful information to pedestrians and those sharing the road with the bus. Large, sliding glass doors provide easy entry, letting kinds on and off with their gear without requiring much in the way of creative maneuvering.

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The bright yellow paint job and clever use of accent lighting means this will also be a highly visible vehicle, which is appropriate when security fo the passengers within is so important to the bus's function.

This is just a concept that shows off where autonomous, multi-passenger transport could go, but it's a cool look at what might make sense in a future where big buses aren't necessarily the ideal means for moving kids around a city with more autonomous roadways.