Three new robot bus experiments started in the autumn

23.9.2021 13.22Updated: 23.9.2021 13.58
Robot buses have been tested in a real urban environment in Kera, Espoo

The City of Espoo aims to promote automated public transport. Together with Ramboll Finland Ltd, Roboride Oy and WSP Finland Ltd, we are carrying out three different types of experiments or surveys to promote automated and low-carbon mobility. The experiments were selected from the proposals received in our idea competition in the spring, which responded to the challenges of automated transport identified by the city.

The proposed solutions aim to promote the permanent introduction of automated public transport. “There are still a lot of unresolved issues in automated bus transport. With these experiments, we try to understand them better,” says Tuomas Kiuru, Project Manager at the City of Espoo. 

The experiments carried out by the three companies examine how to increase awareness of automated transport, how robot buses can improve the cost-efficiency of public transport and how they affect its accessibility. 

  • Roboride Oy is preparing a comprehensive service description for the City of Espoo on the possibilities of robot buses in selected experiment areas. 
  • Ramboll Finland Ltd is exploring how automated buses can improve the cost-effectiveness of public transport. 
  • WSP Finland Ltd is compiling a virtual model that illustrates the perspectives of people with sensory impairments or people with children on travelling by robot bus. 

The City of Espoo is committed to being carbon-neutral by 2030, and creating a functional and cost-efficient public transport system is an essential part of this goal. Earlier this year, the cities of Espoo and Turku and Turku Region Traffic Föli ordered a report from Sitowise Oy on the future of autonomous transport. The report recommends measures to make automated buses part of a cost-efficient public transport system. 

The idea competition for automated public transport solutions is part of a project funded by the European Regional Development Fund, “6Aika: Vähähiilinen liikkuminen liikennehubeissa” (“Low-carbon mobility in transport hubs”), whose lead partner is the City of Espoo. The project partners also include the City of Oulu, Business Tampere, Turku University of Applied Sciences and the City of Turku. 

For more information, please contact:  
Tuomas Kiuru, Project Manager, tel. +358 40 5522646, tuomas.kiuru@espoo.fi 

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