In Ålgård outside Stavanger, self-driving buses are now running on the roads. Halogen is involved in piloting the brand new transport offer.
How do autonomous buses work when they have to drive both in quiet, rural surroundings, but also in densely trafficked, urban areas? How do residents use the buses? What technological opportunities and challenges do you encounter?
These are some of the questions Halogen is working to answer in the project Fabulos - a research project that is funded as part of the EU's framework program Horizon 2020.
Together with Mobility Forus, Spare Labs and Rambøll, Halogen has launched a public transport service consisting of two self-driving buses. These take travelers from the center of Ålgård to the bathing area at Fjermestadvannet - an area in Gjesdal municipality with limited public transport.
"I have received positive feedback on the welcoming appearance of the autonomous vehicles. The children in the area connect with the design, says the mayor of Gjesdal municipality, Frode Fjeldsbø
Halogen has facilitated the process through all phases, and contributed with service design, concept development, consultancy, graphic design and web design. We have also edited and designed the meeting points for the service. The aim here was to make the service a good and inclusive experience for the general population, and the youngest in particular.
The service also includes the HentMeg car in collaboration with the public transport company Kolumbus. Both services are integrated into the travel planners of Entur and Kolumbus, and are thus a full-fledged part of the public transport offer.
