06 December 2019

Linköping’s first autonomous buses are picking up passengers on Campus Valla. It’s now possible to take a ride on this rolling research project.

Photographer: Magnus Johansson
The project has been christened “Elin”, and consists of two autonomous buses that will run along a two-kilometre route around the campus. During an initial test period, one bus will be used, with full operation using two buses planned for the start of next year.

The route starts at Blå havet, continues along Corson to Campushallen and then follows the bus-only street back to the start. Eight bus stops have been set up along the route, and the complete journey takes 10-15 minutes, depending on such factors as how crowded the street is and whether the bus meets any obstacles.

Staff onboard to monitor the driving

The route is serviced seven days a week during the daytime, but does not follow an exact timetable. It will also be adapted for accessibility, to be able to carry a wheelchair.
The bus does not have a driver, but a customer-service agent will always be onboard who monitors the driving. Travel on the buses, which have a capacity of 10-13 passengers, will be free of charge, and they will not be part of the ordinary public transport network.

The buses are one component in a research collaboration looking at sustainable mobility within the framework for the strategic partnership between LiU and Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). The Elin project is a collaboration between Linköping University, VTI, Linköping Municipality, Östgötatrafiken, Science Park Mjärdevi, RISE, Transdev and Akademiska hus.

The buses started service on 6 December 2019. Come and take a ride into the future! More information is available at the project website: ridethefuture.se

Translated by George Farrants

Video


Latest news from LiU

A tree branch in bloom in front of a building

LiU new on World Reputation Rankings list

For the first time, Linköping University has made it onto the British Times Higher Education magazine’s World Reputation Rankings list.

Portrait (Feng Gao).

Prestigious physics award for Feng Gao

This year's Göran Gustafsson Prize in Physics goes to LiU professor Feng Gao. His research focuses on how new materials can be used for the next generation of solar cells and LEDs, among other things. The total prize money is SEK 7.5 million.

Researcher hold a glowing sheet of glass with tweezers.

Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable

Cost, technical performance and environmental impact – these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by LiU-researchers in a new study.