The operator of public transport in Oslo, ruther, has launched a new route 35, which runs electric buses without a driver. The route runs along the coast of Oslo fjord. Small red buses leave from the town Hall, pass by The Akershus fortress, stop at the cruise terminal and reach Vippetangen, the southern tip of the Akersnes Peninsula in the center of the Norwegian capital.

The launch was preceded by a test period when buses collected information about the route and analyzed the situation on the roads. Despite the fact that the buses are robotic and do not require the presence of a driver, there is always an employee of the transport company in the cabin, whose task is to ensure a comfortable ride and provide assistance when required. Buses are available for sedentary passengers and have space for strollers.

This type of transport has already won the love of citizens and guests of the city, especially since the buses have names: UDA and Mads.

As you know, Oslo is named the Green capital of Europe 2019. In addition to the abundance of tourist attractions, much attention is paid to sustainable development in the city. Experts say that Oslo is one of the best examples of a modern city of the 21st century, which continues to develop and set ambitious goals. One of them is to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Launching electric buses is one of the measures to achieve these goals. This summer, the company "ruther" plans to expand the network of such bus routes.

Joanna Oleskow-Szlapka As regards your discussion on financing the development of sustainable city transport, I have attached some useful materials for you (see attached files below). I believe these would be helpful. Moreso, I have a brief summary of the information you required, and the source / link is pasted for further readings.

Culled from https://www.globalmasstransit.net/archive.php?id=14966

Oslo has one of the most advanced public transportation systems in Europe. The metro, bus, tram and ferry networks are integrated and the zone-based fare system deploys the latest technologies. During the last five years, growth in public transport use has been about 29 per cent while the use of private cars has remained stable at the 2005 level.

Oslo is the capital region of Norway, a highly-developed and oil-rich country with a stable economy. The municipality of Oslo spans 454 square km and is located in the inner part of the Oslo Fjord in South Eastern Norway. The Oslo Region consists of 70 local authorities, including Oslo, Akershus, Buskerud and Østfold and the municipalities surrounding Oslo. It has population of about 1.8 million inhabitants.

Key players in public transport

Oslo Sporveien AS (Sporveien), erstwhile Kollektivtransportproduksjon AS (KTP), is the operator of the public transportation network in Oslo, Akershus, and Vest fold. The company is fully-owned by the city government and operates under contract with the public transport authority Ruter AS.

Ruter AS is the management company for public transport in Oslo and Akershus. It is owned jointly by the Oslo municipality (60 per cent) and the Akershus County Council (40 per cent). Ruter was formed in 2007, following the merger of AS Oslo Sporveier and Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk a.s, which were the public transport authorities for Oslo and Akershus, respectively.

Almost a quarter of the Norwegian population lives in the area served by Ruter. The 300 million public transport journeys a year by Ruter represent almost 60 per cent of all public transport journeys made in Norway. All public subsidies of public transport services in Oslo and Akershus, with the exception of state subsidies provided to Norwegian State Railways (NSB), are granted through Ruter.

Ruter has two subsidiaries:

• Trafikanten, a wholly-owned Ruter company since January 2012, which aims to promote the use of public transport through information solutions for all.
• Konsentra, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ruter, which co-ordinates, plans and arranges passenger transport services. Every year, it arranges approximately 1.2 million trips commissioned by Ruter, Heels Sør-Øst as well as several municipalities in Akershus.

Ruter itself owns no buses, trams, boats or metros. Fleet operations are carried out by various operator companies that have a contract with Ruter. The metro and the tram are permanent contract partners, whereas bus and boat operators are awarded contracts after competitive tendering.

These information are normally available from the local government reports, statistic reports, planning guidelines, and local plans. Best thing is to contact the local government directly.