Kolumbus to operate autonomous bus service in Norway

Norwegian public transport operator Kolumbus is now operating an autonomous bus service outside the city of Stavanger to provide commuters with easier access to mass transit. The vehicles run between existing bus stops and office buildings in the Frosu area. According to a report by ZDNet, the Norwegian ministry of transport’s licence requires a Kolumbus employee to be on board the Easy Mile EZ10 vehicle and ready to intervene if a dangerous situation takes place. The ministry has also set a maximum
July 3, 2018 Read time: 1 min
Norwegian public transport operator Kolumbus is now operating an autonomous bus service outside the city of Stavanger to provide commuters with easier access to mass transit. The vehicles run between existing bus stops and office buildings in the Frosu area.


According to a report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external ZDNet false https://www.zdnet.com/article/scandinavia-gets-its-first-autonomous-public-buses-but-theres-a-big-catch/ false false%>, the Norwegian ministry of transport’s licence requires a Kolumbus employee to be on board the Easy Mile EZ10 vehicle and ready to intervene if a dangerous situation takes place.

The ministry has also set a maximum speed limit of 12km/h and a capacity of six passengers on board at any one time.

Forus has about 40,000 people working for 3,500 companies in a relatively small area, the report adds.

Related Content

  • November 6, 2019
    Panasonic to launch autonomous cart ride-share in 2021
    Panasonic is to launch a ride-sharing service of autonomous electric carts in Japan in 2021 for small towns and other ‘confined’ areas. A report by The Mainichi says the company is now using four carts to transport more than 14,000 employees around its headquarters in Osaka Prefecture ahead of the commercial launch. The carts operate at 20 km/h per hour on a 2.4km loop around the premises, which is around 468,000 m2 in size. An spokesperson is quoted as saying during a press conference: "We are not tryin
    Read More
  • February 5, 2019
    Uber suspends Barcelona service after new regulations introduced
    Taxi-hailing giant Uber is suspending its service in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The move comes after new regulations were passed by local authorities, according to Reuters. The company started its UberX service in the city last year. But from now on, passengers using ride-hailing services will have to wait at least 15 minutes after booking a ride before they can be picked up – thus negating one of the key selling points of companies such as Uber. Speed and convenience – as well as cost – are w
    Read More
  • November 27, 2018
    Hawaii wins more than $400,000 in EPA Grants
    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $411,578 in Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grants to Hawaii to help curb pollution from diesel vehicle sources. The EPA’s West Coast Collaborative administers the DERA programme. This partnership, which combines the EPA’s Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest Regions, utilises public and private funds in a bid to reduce emissions. The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) intends to use the grant to replace two diesel transit buses with batter
    Read More
  • February 14, 2019
    Ride-hailing and taxi drivers could face tougher criminal checks in England
    Drivers who ply their trade on apps such as Uber could be under greater scrutiny as part of proposals being put forward by the UK government. The potential risk to passengers from the explosion of ride-hailing apps, as private-hire drivers are perceived to receive less thorough vetting – for example, to flag up past convictions – has long been argued. Incidents such as the murders of passengers by a Didi driver in China heightened such concerns - although critics point out that a US Uber driver who ad
    Read More

Highlighted Content