Scania and Nobina to trial autonomous buses in Stockholm

Two Scania Citywide LF electric buses will operate in the Barkaby area of the Swedish capital, around 20km from the centre. Both buses will operate along a dedicated 5km route with four stops.

Initially, they will be run in autonomous mode without passengers for a distance of 1km, while second stage tests are expected to carry up to 300 commuters per day. A safety driver will remain on board to monitor operations and assist passengers.

The trials will collect data on average speeds, uptime, on-time performance, deviation response and passenger satisfaction.

Karin Rådström, head of buses and coaches at Scania, says: “The project will provide a wealth of information in the further development of large autonomous buses before a full-scale introduction.”

Scania and Nobina will manage the buses’ traffic and control systems.

Autonomous technology is already being phased into Sweden. Last month, Zenuity - a joint venture between vehicle solution manufacturer Veoneer and Volvo Cars - announced <%$Linker:2External<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary />000link-external plansfalsehttp://www.itsinternational.com/sections/general/news/zenuity-gets-green-light-to-trial-self-driving-cars-on-swedish-highways/falsefalse%> to trial self-driving cars on Swedish highways at a maximum speed of 80km/h.