Helsinki citizens give positive feedback to 'robot' buses

Passengers have provided positive feedback to Helsinki’s driverless bus pilot project.

The so-called ‘robot’ bus was introduced to the streets of Helsinki in residential areas of Kalasatama and Aurinkolahti by Smart Mobility projects of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Curious passengers

The pilot route 90R has attracted many curious passengers with over 2000 visitors taking a ride in less than three months.

As part of the pilot in Helsinki, the participants were able to give feedback by filling an on-board passenger survey. “Most of the users have been first-timers, and nearly all of them felt the ride was both safe and secure,” said Sami Mäkinen from research company Flou, who analysed these survey results.

The pilot and the survey reached a wide audience and especially people over 60 have been eager to participate in the pilot. The reasons for choosing a robot bus over the other transportation options were bad weather and carrying heavy items.

”For us to reach the traffic emission reduction goals, the change must happen within the daily routines of our citizens”

The respondents believed they could also use robot buses as part of their daily commuting journey.

”For us to reach the traffic emission reduction goals, the change must happen within the daily routines of our citizens,” said project manager Jari Honkonen from Forum Virium Helsinki.

“Leaving your car home requires that there is a wide range of, and above all public, transport services available. The automated public transportation provides a better service level and user experience for wider clientele.”

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