Skip to main content

Finnish university launches self-driving buses in Helsinki

Helsinki’s Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has begun a trial of self-driving buses on the streets of Helsinki as part of the SOHJOA-project coordinated by the university, which aims to provide opportunities for Finnish companies to develop new traffic automation products and services ideas. The two French-made EasyMile EZ10 buses have no steering wheel or pedals and run on virtual tracks that can be configured to accommodate sudden changes in demand. They can carry ten passengers and have a dri
August 18, 2016 Read time: 1 min
Helsinki’s Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has begun a trial of self-driving buses on the streets of Helsinki as part of the SOHJOA-project coordinated by the university, which aims to provide opportunities for Finnish companies to develop new traffic automation products and services ideas.

The two French-made 8246 EasyMile EZ10 buses have no steering wheel or pedals and run on virtual tracks that can be configured to accommodate sudden changes in demand. They can carry ten passengers and have a driver on board in case of emergency.

The buses will be trialled in Espoo in September and in Tampere in October until the first snow falls. The trials will continue in the spring of 2017.

Related Content

  • February 6, 2017
    Paris launches autonomous vehicle demonstration
    French public transport operator RATP, together with Paris City Council, has launched a public demonstration of two EasyMile EZ10 driverless shuttles on the Charles de Gaulle bridge in Paris city centre. Until 7 April, the two shuttles, which can carry twelve passengers, will operate on a dedicated lane between the Austerlitz and Gar de Lyon railway stations, guided by a combination of cameras, GPS, lasers and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology. The demonstration is part of the city’s expe
  • October 5, 2017
    EasyMile selected for autonomous shuttle project in Minnesota
    The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has chosen French driverless technology company EasyMile to lead its autonomous shuttle bus pilot project. According to MnDOT, this will be the first cold climate test in the US. EasyMile will use its EZ10 electric shuttle on MnDOT’s pavement test facility, MnROAD. Testing will include how the shuttle operates in snow and ice conditions, at low temperatures and on roads with salt.
  • February 18, 2013
    Oxford University develops self-driving car
    Oxford University scientists have developed a self-driving car system that can be installed in existing cars and can cope with snow, rain and other weather conditions. Developed by a team led by Professor Paul Newman at Oxford University, the new system has been installed in a Nissan Leaf electric car and tested on private roads around the university. The car will halt for pedestrians, and could take over the tedious parts of driving such as negotiating traffic jams or regular commutes. The car alerts the
  • March 3, 2016
    Electric buses serve as mobile testing platforms by Living Lab project
    The Living Lab Bus joint project, coordinated VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and launched at the beginning of 2016, is using Finnish electric buses acquired by Helsinki Region Transport as tangible development and testing platforms for businesses to validate their solutions in a real use environment. The buses can be used for testing user-oriented smart services and technologies, ranging from user interfaces and passenger services to sensors and transport operators’ solutions. VTT says the goa