Driverless buses take visitors to the Kivistö Housing Fair from 10 July

This summer visitors to the housing fair held in Kivistö, Vantaa have a unique opportunity to try a future mode of public transport. Visitors can travel from Kivistö train station to the fair by driverless smart buses from Friday 10 July.

The free CityMobil2 buses run from Kivistö train station to the housing fair area 10 July – 9 August between 10am and 6pm. The buses have a passenger capacity of ten passengers, with seats for six and standing room for four.

In addition to the driverless buses, the fair area can be accessed by foot or using normal feeder bus services.

The distance to the fair area from the station is about one kilometer and the buses run along a separate fenced pedestrian and bicycle route. Their operation is based on GPS positioning, programmed route and obstacle-avoidance technology.

“This is future technology that is not yet ready for wider use in our conditions. But in the future, this technology will enable more extensive and flexible public transport,” says HSL Contract Manager Kimmo Sinisalo.

Driverless minibuses could in future be used, for example, for train station feeder services in areas such as Kivistö.

In addition to HSL and the City of Vantaa, project participants include the Finnish Transport Agency, Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi and Uusimaa Regional Council.

Buses tested in seven countries

Driverless buses are part of a EU-wide CityMobil2 project which studies the use of automated transport systems. Previously, driverless vehicles have been tested, for example, in Oristano in Italy, Lausanne in Switzerland and La Rochelle in France. In these cities, the route of the buses has not been completely closed to other traffic. In total, nine cities from seven countries participate in the project.

The aim of the project is not only to test the existing technology but also collect feedback from passengers. In addition, the project aims to dispel any doubts people may have about automated transport systems.