Two self-driving buses have rolled out on to the public roads of Helsinki, Finland, alongside traffic and commuters, in one of the first trials of its kind. This has cut a lot of the red tape encountered by many other firms and research groups looking to test autonomous vehicles on public roads in the US and Europe. The automated buses are being seen as possible an extension of Finland’s public transport system, moving commuters into higher-volume transport systems where costs of alternative transport have proved prohibitive, rather than replacing all human-driven buses. It is hoped that small automated buses could fill that niche where human-operated transport has proved inefficient with municipal funds. Self-driving vehicle trials are also set to go ahead on public roads of the UK, including automated lorries on the M6, small public transport pods and driverless Volvo SUVs in London.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2016 10:18 UTC