Nobina and Scania pioneer full length autonomous buses in Sweden
Scania and Nobina, the largest public transport operator in the Nordic countries, will collaborate to commence trials of autonomous buses on regular routes in the Stockholm area.
“The technology is now sufficiently mature to initiate trials in actual bus operations on public roads, making the project one of the first of its kind in Europe with buses this size,” says Karin Rådström, Head of Buses and Coaches, Scania. “The project will provide a wealth of information in the further development of large autonomous buses before a full-scale introduction.”
The trials will be conducted in two stages, initially without passengers before welcoming commuters onboard. Safety being a top priority throughout the trials, the buses will have a safety-driver to monitor operations and assist passengers.
“We at Nobina are highly engaged in establishing what we believe will be an important part of future public transport,” says Henrik Dagnäs, Managing Director, Nobina Sweden. “These trials will provide a great deal of insight and experience going forward concerning the practical everyday aspects of managing and operating autonomous buses and enabling more people to travel by public transport. The demands on autonomous buses will not differ from those in other operations, including reliability, safety and availability.”
The two Scania Citywide LF electric buses will connect the rapidly expanding new residential area Barkarby, approximately 20 kilometres from downtown Stockholm, with a nearby metro station. The buses will be in service along a new dedicated 5-kilometre route with four stops. Initially, approximately one kilometre is planned to be driven autonomously. During the second phase of the trials, it is expected that around 300 passengers will make daily use of this service.
Traffic and control systems for the autonomous buses will be jointly managed by Scania and Nobina.
The development project has already started and the trial period is planned to begin in 2020. Throughout the trials, data will be collected on, for example, average speeds, uptime, on-time performance, deviation response and passenger satisfaction.
Several innovative public transport projects are already under way in Barkarby which has been described as the world's most modern city traffic system. Projects include Europe's first self-driving electric buses in regular scheduled traffic, Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure and vehicles and new digital solutions – all in collaboration between Region Stockholm, Järfälla Municipality and Nobina.
Information about the buses:
| Model | Scania Citywide LF (low floor) |
| Length | 12 m |
| Powertrain | Electric |
| Charging technology | Depot charging |
| Capacity | 80 of passengers, of which 25 seated |
For further information, please contact:
Karin Hallstan, Head of Corporate Communications and PR, Scania
Phone: + 46 76 842 81 04, E-mail: karin.hallstan@scania.com
David Erixon, Head of communications, Nobina
Phone: + 46 (0)72 967 02 84, E-mail: david.erixon@nobina.se
About Nobina
Nobina is the largest and most experienced public bus transport service provider in the Nordic region. The company’s expertise in prospecting, tendering and active management of public bus transport contracts in combination with long-term delivery quality makes Nobina the industry leader in terms of profitability, development and initiatives that promote a healthier industry.
Every day, Nobina ensures that close to one million people arrive at work, school or other activities by delivering contracted public bus transport services in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
In addition, Nobina offers special public transport services under the brand Samtrans in the Swedish market.
The company has sales exceeding SEK 9 billion (2017/18), more than 11,000 employees, and is headquartered in Solna, Stockholm. For more information, see Nobina’s website: www.nobina.com
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Scania is a world-leading provider of transport solutions. Together with our partners and customers we are driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system. In 2017, we delivered 82,500 trucks, 8,300 buses as well as 8,500 industrial and marine engines to our customers. Net sales totalled nearly SEK 120 billion, of which about 20 percent were services-related. Founded in 1891, Scania now operates in more than 100 countries and employs some 49,300 people. Research and development are concentrated in Sweden, with branches in Brazil and India. Production takes place in Europe, Latin America and Asia, with regional production centres in Africa, Asia and Eurasia. Scania is part of TRATON SE. For more information visit: www.scania.com.
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