Future a reality with Vic driverless bus

Students and academics at a Victorian university will get a taste of the future with the state's first trial of a driverless bus.

The future has arrived at a Victorian university campus, with students and academics set to travel to classes on the state's first driverless bus.

The three-month trial, to begin at La Trobe University at Bundoora in April, will see a self-driving, 12-seater shuttle bus dubbed 'autonobus' service the large campus.

Passengers can select their destination using a touchscreen and the autonobus will deliver them at the leisurely speed of 20km/h.

And if something goes wrong, there's an emergency stop button and a joystick controller for a human to takeover.

The state government and RACV say the trial will pave the way for the introduction of driverless vehicles in Victoria.

"Automated vehicles will revolutionise how we move around our communities, that's why we're investing in trials that explore ways technology can be used to reduce congestion and keep people safe on our roads," Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said.

The trial is partly funded by the state government, the university and the private sector and if successful, it could replace the free bus service on the large campus.

"The purpose of the trial is to gain a better understanding of the technology: how it works, how it can best be developed and how it can be implemented," the RACV's Bryce Prosser said.