Swedish car manufacturer Scania and the Nordic countries largest public transport operator, Nobina, are to collaborate on trials of autonomous buses on regular routes in Stockholm.
“The technology is now sufficiently mature to initiate trials in actual bus operations on public roads, making the project one of the first of its kind in Europe with buses this size,” says Karin Rådström, Head of Buses and Coaches, Scania. “The project will provide a wealth of information in the further development of large autonomous buses before a full-scale introduction.”
The trial will be in two stages, at first without passengers onboard. The buses will have a safety driver to monitor operations, assist passengers at later stages, and ensure that safety is a top priority.
Scania autonomous bus. Image: Scania CV AB
“We at Nobina are highly engaged in establishing what we believe will be an important part of future public transport,” says Henrik Dagnäs, Managing Director, Nobina Sweden. “These trials will provide a great deal of insight and experience going forward concerning the practical everyday aspects of managing and operating autonomous buses and enabling more people to travel by public transport. The demands on autonomous buses will not differ from those in other operations, including reliability, safety and availability.”
The two 12-metre long Scania Citywide LF electric buses will connect the rapidly expanding new residential area Barkarby, approximately 20 km from downtown Stockholm, with a nearby metro station. The buses will be in service along a new dedicated 5 km route with four stops. Initially, approximately 1 km is planned to be driven autonomously. During the second phase of the trials, it is expected that around 300 passengers will make daily use of this service.
The development project has already started and the trial period is planned to begin in 2020. Throughout the trials, data will be collected on, for example, average speeds, uptime, on-time performance, deviation response and passenger satisfaction.
Several innovative public transport projects are already under way in Barkarby which has been described as the world's most modern city traffic system. Projects include Europe's first self-driving electric buses in regular scheduled traffic, Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure and vehicles and new digital solutions – all in collaboration between Region Stockholm, Järfälla Municipality and Nobina.
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