HELSINKI — Finland is testing driverless electric buses as part of an ambitious 10-year plan to make car ownership unnecessary in the country’s capital. <br /> <br />Two driverless EZ10 minibuses with obstacle-detection technology are being tested on public roads in Helsinki’s southern Hernesaari district, alongside other vehicles and pedestrians. <br /> <br />The minibuses can hold up to 12 passengers each and can reach a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour. However they will travel at an average speed of 10 kilometers per hour, the Guardian reported. <br /> <br />Officials said the buses could be used in future to connect existing public transport systems, according to Finnish news site Yle. <br /> <br />Finland is a world leader in trials of automated transport, partly because Finnish law doesn’t require vehicles on the road to have a driver. <br /> <br />Helsinki is testing the buses as part of a plan to make car ownership unnecessary by 2025 by providing a point-to-point “mobility on demand” system, according to the Guardian. <br /> <br />The trial began on Aug. 16 and runs for a month.
