On May 25, the Swedish public transport company Vasttrafik announced that a self-driving bus had collided with a tram on its first day of passenger service in the city of Gothenburg.
Vasttrafik spokesperson Patrik Chi said the vehicle had been temporarily taken out of service for inspection. According to him, the self-driving bus, carrying passengers in Gothenburg, braked before being rear-ended by a tram. There were no casualties.
The vehicle had been operating in the central Gothenburg area since the end of March, but May 25th was the first day it began carrying passengers. Although it is a self-driving vehicle, a driver is still present on board to take control when necessary.
The Swedish transport authority Transportstyrelsen has granted permission for the passenger buses to operate under a trial program that runs until July 31, 2027.
Currently, self-driving buses and trams in Europe mainly operate under local permits, issued specifically for each city and route, usually on internal routes.
The European Union (EU) has not yet granted permission for the continent-wide commercial deployment of self-driving public transport vehicles or robotaxis.