The two Scania Citywide LF electric buses will connect an area in suburban Stockholm with a metro station. Source: Scania

Scania and transport operator Nobina said they will begin operating autonomous buses on regular routes in the area around Stockholm, Sweden.

The trials will be done in two stages, with and without passengers. The buses will have a human driver on board to monitor operations and assist passengers.

The two Scania Citywide LF electric buses will connect the residential area of Barkarby, approximately 20 km from downtown Stockholm, with a nearby metro station. The buses will be in service along a new dedicated 5-km route with four stops. Around 1 km is planned to be driven autonomously at first. During the second phase of the trials, as many as 300 passengers could use the service each day.

Traffic and control systems for the autonomous buses will be jointly managed by Scania and Nobina. The trial is planned to begin in 2020. During the trial, data will be collected on average speeds, uptime, on-time performance, deviation response and passenger satisfaction.

Public transport projects already underway in Barkarby include one of Europe's first self-driving electric buses in regular scheduled traffic.