HELSINKI, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A driverless electric bus began commercial service in the southern Finnish city of Tampere on Monday, marking the first time an autonomous vehicle has been integrated into Finland's regular public transport system.

A press release from the City of Tampere said the service operates between the city's Hervantajarvi and Lintuhytti neighbourhoods, acting as a feeder line to the city's tram network. The 12-seat bus, which runs in the blue-and-white livery of Nysse, Tampere's regional public transport system, can also accommodate strollers and prams.

As part of Tampere's smart city development goals, a robot bus was previously tested on the Hervantajarvi-Lintuhytti route in 2022.

Unlike earlier trials, passengers will now pay to use the service. During the initial phase, a safety driver will be on board, but the bus is expected to become fully driverless next spring, with operations monitored from a remote-control center.

The robot bus is operated by Remoted Ltd. "This is a very important and first-of-its-kind project, with the key objective of bringing a commercial robot bus service to the market," Remoted CEO Tatu Nieminen said in the press release.

In addition to the robot bus, a regular minibus with a human driver will run on the route and can be used during disruptions or to cover shifts when the robot bus is charging, the city said. Enditem