Cases
Ruter: An Autonomous Public Transportation Pilot in Norway
Ruter AS is the public transportation authority in the Oslo and Akershus counties in Norway. With ambitious plans to automate its public transportation fleet, they believe self-driving vehicles will play a vital part in the future of mobility.
Ruter was looking for a partner who could provide self-driving vehicles and take them one step closer towards permanent autonomous service. This was the start of the international partnership between Ruter, Holo, Toyota Motor Europe and Sensible 4.
The Challenge
For autonomous vehicles to become mainstream, they must work in all weather conditions. The climate in Norway is typically Scandinavian, where rain, snow and harsh temperatures are common. Ruter was looking for self-driving vehicles that work year-round in all weather conditions.
The Solution
Toyota Motor Europe chose Sensible 4 to automate the vehicles to be used in the project due to Sensible 4’s all-weather driving capabilities. With a long history in outdoor robotics and a proven track record in testing self-driving software in challenging conditions in Finnish Lapland, Sensible 4’s autonomous driving software was seen as the perfect match for Ruter’s needs.
The autonomous service was launched at the beginning of 2021 with two autonomous Proace vehicles that drove for a period of one year. The project was part of developing the strategic partnership into a long-term collaboration and providing new sustainable mobility solutions to the people living in the area.
“One major concern for Ruter’s ambitions for shared automated public transport has been the Scandinavian weather. Sensible 4 proved the viability of automated transport in winter climate. A significant step towards sustainable mobility for all.”
– Lars Gunnar Lundestad
Project Manager, Self-driving, Ruter
Project in Numbers:
- Vehicle: 2x Toyota Proace
- Driven 16 214 km and 1280 operating hours
- Max speed: 30 km/h
- Partners: Sensibile 4, Ruter, Holo
