Self-driving shuttle buses hit the streets of Stockholm

Local Swedish public transportation and technology providers have partnered with the telecommunications company Ericsson to conduct a six-month trial of two electric self-driving shuttle buses on Stockholm's public roads. The aim of the trial is to test how the autonomous vehicles perform under real-word conditions for a prolonged period alongside other road users (cars, cyclists) and pedestrians.

The trialing of the shuttle buses is just one stage of the Drive Sweden innovation project. This project was initiated by the Swedish government back in 2015 to address issues of road safety, infrastructure and legislation surrounding autonomous vehicles. The second half of the six-month trial will also test the buses' connectivity to the 5G network.

The free-of-charge shuttle buses are fully-electric and can carry 11 passengers at speeds of up to 24 km/h (15 mph), including in adverse weather conditions. Their autonomous driving capabilities are supplied by Ericsson's open API Connected Urban Transport (CUT) platform, allowing the buses to communicate with sensor-enabled bus stops, traffic lights and road-signs. The existing platform also shares traffic data with transport agencies and service providers locally, or within multiple municipalities, to help ease congestion.

This was published by the science and technology newlsetter 'New Atlas'.