Helsinki to introduce self-driving bus in regular service later this year

TINNews |

Helsinki authorities have revealed plans to introduce self-driving bus called RoboBusLine into the Finnish city's public transit service later this year.

By inducting the new autonomous vehicle into regular service, officials intend to shift RoboBusLine from an experimental phase to a scheduled public transit service.

Since last year, two driverless minibuses have been tested in real traffic conditions in Helsinki, as well as in other Finnish cities, leading the way for RoboBusLine.

The test runs will continue in Helsinki in summer 2017.

As part of Sohjoa project, two EasyMile EZ10 electric minibuses were tested at Helsinki's Hernesaari waterfront district in mid-August last year, which carried passengers for a quarter-mile distance on a public street.

The minibus travelled at a speed of 11kmph, with an operator on-board for taking control of the vehicle in case of any emergencies.

Sohjoa is an EU-financed joint project backed by six cities of Finland, universities, and transportation authorities to prepare for new public transit services and autonomous vehicles.

"It will be used to study the long-term operability of self-driving buses and customer behaviour."

Following the Helsinki debut, Sohjoa self-driving bus trials continued in other Finnish of Espoo and Tampere.

Trials are expected to begin in Helsinki once gain in July-August this year, carrying passengers from Mustikkamaa recreational island to Helsinki Zoo.

Sohjoa project manager Oscar Nissin said: "We focus on a number of aspects including sensor technology, user experience, and how to complement overall public transit services with self-driving buses."

The Helsinki RoboBusLine project is proceeding from Sohjoa's short-term experiments toward an established use with a three-year project.

The current project leader, Metropolia's smart mobility programme director Harri Santamala said: "RoboBus will allow us to test operation in everyday public transit conditions. It will be used to study the long-term operability of self-driving buses and customer behaviour."

Vehicle for RoboBusLine is an electric minibus, which is presently currently under acquisition through a bidding process.

The route, launch date, and schedule will be announced later.