FOR STOCKHOLM, NEXT STOP IS THE FUTURE

Stockholm city officials welcome the opportunity to test the future of public transportation.

Today, a new self-driving electric and 5G-enabled bus route has been inaugurated in Stockholm’s Royal Djurgården by HRH Prince Daniel, city officials and industry representatives.

The shuttle bus will take passengers autonomously around popular tourist attractions in Djurgården, a green and tranquil oasis in central Stockholm, during a two week-trial in September. A safety driver will always be present in the vehicle.

The pilot project, 5G Ride, is part of an initiative led by Urban ICT Arena, Keolis, Telia, Ericsson and Intel and backed by Vinnova and Drive Sweden, that focus on how 5G and control towers can enable the safe introduction of self-driving, electric buses in urban areas.

“This is a great example of how 5G can benefit society. Self-driving technology combined with electrification and 5G can help transform public transport, making it more efficient to operate and more accessible to the people who need it, while reducing the environmental footprint. Key components in building smarter cities,” says Anders Olsson, CEO of Telia Sweden.

The 5G network’s unique technical features, including enhanced security, extremely high data speeds combined with low latency, enables the connected buses to respond in real time to commands from the centralized control tower.

An intelligent electric transport system like this, powered by renewable energy and where operators control large fleets of autonomous vehicles remotely, will optimize route planning and traffic. Benefits will include reduced operational costs and environmental footprint and more accessible public transport.

The future of public transportation will indeed be connected, autonomous, electric and shared.

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