Oslo transport authority aims to launch robotaxi service in 2026

Oslo is getting a service with self-driving vehicles. These come from the Volkswagen subsidiary Moia.

The service will be offered by the transport company Ruter together with Holo, a company specializing in operating autonomous vehicles. It is scheduled to launch next spring, as Ruter announced. Holo will contribute its experience from operating autonomous mobility services in the Nordic countries.

The ID. Buzz AD is coming to Oslo

The ID. Buzz AD will be used as the vehicle, the robotaxi based on the electric VW bus. These will initially operate in Groruddalen, a suburb of the Norwegian capital. The vehicles will also be tested there under demanding weather conditions such as snow. Ruter aims to integrate up to 30,000 autonomous ride-sharing vehicles into Oslo's public transport network. This is intended to reduce traffic jams and emissions.

For Moia, "the project is another step in the expansion and commercialization of autonomous mobility in Europe," the company announced. So far, the VW subsidiary itself offers ride-sharing services, until recently in Hanover as well as in Hamburg, and in Hamburg and Berlin, autonomous ridesharing will also be offered in the future.

In the next step, Moia also wants to offer a "complete package" of autonomous vehicles, software, and operating services, "enabling transport operators to implement autonomous mobility." Moia plans to obtain type approval for the ID. Buzz AD in the European Union by 2027.

(wpl)