An autonomous bus was involved in a collision with a tram in Gothenburg on Monday, during its first day of testing with passengers on board. The incident occurred in the city center of the Swedish metropolis, according to the regional public transport company Västtrafik.
According to project officials, the driverless vehicle braked suddenly before being struck from behind by a tram. No injuries were reported. The bus was immediately taken out of service for technical inspections and to allow for a thorough analysis of the circumstances of the accident.
Europe is still proceeding cautiously with autonomous transport.
Since the end of March, this autonomous shuttle had already been operating on the streets of Gothenburg, but without carrying passengers. This Monday marked the official launch of real-world testing with passengers. A safety driver was nevertheless on board to be able to take control of the vehicle in case of a problem.
The operating permit had been granted by the Swedish Transport Agency, Transportstyrelsen, until July 2027. At this stage, autonomous vehicle trials in Europe remain limited to local permits issued on a city-by-city basis. The European Union has not yet approved large-scale commercial deployments of autonomous public transport or robotaxis.
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