Self-Driving Bus Became Costly Municipal Fiasco

The project cost taxpayers in Skåne nine million kronor but was short-lived. Now the electric vehicle is being sold as a “chicken coop or greenhouse.”

The collaboration between Trelleborg Municipality, Skånetrafiken, and Bergkvarabuss was launched in 2022 with the aim of making everyday life easier for the elderly. There was also hope that the self-driving bus would put the municipality on the map.

Even though it operated autonomously, a host was required to be on board. By law, a bus is not allowed to operate completely on its own and requires a responsible bus driver present.

– It’s not the world’s most exciting job. There aren’t that many passengers. But you take it for what it is. It’s fun to be part of future developments at least, said Dennis Lindelöf, one of four bus drivers who alternated as hosts on the bus, to Trelleborgs Allehanda in 2023.

450 meters

The distance the bus traveled was 450 meters, but following technical problems and staff shortages, the whole project came to an abrupt end already in 2023. There was never significant interest in the bus among the target group either.

– Of course, it’s disappointing when a project goes badly, but at the same time it was understood that this was something very new, said Felix Sunesson, sustainability strategist for Trelleborg Municipality, to public television.

After standing still for a couple of years, it’s now been decided to auction off the bus as a potential chicken coop or greenhouse — something that, according to Simon Sandberg, Head of Communications at Bergkvara Group AB, is a humorous angle given that it will not be used for its original purpose.