Karsan runs autonomous e-bus in Swedish Sälen

Karsan’s Autonomous e-ATAK has completed around one month of commercial passenger service in the Swedish ski resort of Sälen, marking one of the first autonomous bus deployments in a mountain winter tourism setting. The Turkish manufacturer operated the e-bus on a 4.8km route linking ski areas with accommodation points during peak season.

The deployment forms part of the Sälen–Idre Autonomous Public Transportation Project (SIKTA), led by the municipalities of Malung-Sälen and Älvdalen alongside local businesses and Dalarna University. Testing began in January 2026 in shared-road conditions, including heavy snow and interaction with pedestrians and skiers.

The Autonomous e-ATAK received passenger transport approval from the Swedish Transport Agency, Transportstyrelsen, on 9 March 2026 and entered commercial operation shortly after. Karsan said the Sälen site is one of the more challenging environments for autonomous public transport.

Okan Baş, Chief Executive of Karsan, said: “With this project we have launched in Sälen, we have demonstrated that autonomous mobility can operate safely and seamlessly even in winter tourism regions, one of the most challenging use cases for autonomous mobility. This application is strong evidence that autonomous public transportation has moved beyond being a pilot technology.”

In the second phase of SIKTA, the Autonomous e-ATAK is scheduled to operate in Idre, another Swedish winter tourism hub, building on the Sälen results.

Source: Karsan