Turkish bus maker Karsan’s autonomous e-Atak has become one of the first autonomous public transportation applications in ski tourism.

As part of the Sälen-Idre Autonomous Public Transportation Project (Sikta) in Malung-Sälen and Älvdalen in Sweden, the e-Atak has become one of the first autonomous bus applications to transport passengers under real-world road conditions in a mountainous tourism region.

With the help of local businesses and Dalarna University, the autonomous e-Atak underwent comprehensive testing in traffic and shared-road scenarios involving constant interaction with pedestrians and skiers, as well as heavy snowfall and difficult winter conditions.

Following a testing phase, it received passenger transport approval from the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) last month and entered commercial operation. The vehicle provided safe and uninterrupted service under real-world operational conditions by transporting tourists for approximately one month during the peak ski tourism season.

Operating on a 4.8km route as part of the project, it actively served between ski resort areas and accommodation points, demonstrating not only its technological capabilities but also its contribution to sustainable and inclusive mobility.

Karsan (www.karsan.com) CEO Okan Baş said this application represented one of the most comprehensive implementations of autonomous public transportation vehicles in challenging environments such as mountain and ski tourism.

“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,” said Baş. “This application is strong evidence that autonomous public transportation has moved beyond being a pilot technology and has become an integral part of real life. This new success further solidifies Karsan’s leadership in the field of autonomous mobility.”

The Sälen application stands out as one of the globally referenced implementations for autonomous public transportation in highly complex environments where harsh weather conditions intersect with intense human interaction.

Sikta stands out as a significant mobility initiative led by the Municipality of Malung-Sälen, in collaboration with the Municipality of Älvdalen, local businesses and Dalarna University (www.du.se). This initiative, implemented in Sälen, goes beyond being a one-off project; it represents a step towards a long-term transformation aimed at expanding autonomous mobility in tourism regions.

The operational success achieved demonstrates that autonomous public transportation is a safe, sustainable and viable option even under challenging climatic and geographical conditions. In the project’s second phase, the e-Atak (www.karsan.com/en/electric-bus/e-atak) is planned to operate in Idre, another major winter tourism hub in Sweden. In this context, the strong performance outcomes achieved in Sälen are expected to pave the way for broader-scale operations.