Level 4 autonomy implies that the vehicles capable of this kind of autonomy can operate on their own in city areas, where the speed limit is lower, but a driver can still assist them in case something goes wrong.

According to Electrive, Okan Baş, Karsan Executive Board Member, Kristin Nøkling, CEO of Kolumbus and Jon-Ivar Nygård, the Norwegian Minister of Transport, attended the deployment of the self-driving bus.

Baş stated that that the autonomous bus is a series product and not an experiment while Nygård added that "this is a decisive step forward in the operation of autonomous vehicles."

Karsan's e-Atak bus operates on a city line located in the downtown area on a 2.5-kilometer stretch that even has a dedicated bike lane.

The bus is 8 meters in length and has a total capacity of 52 passengers, although only the 21 who occupy all the seats can ride the bus for now.

This is because, while the bus can definitely see incoming pedestrians and brake in case of emergency, sometimes it does so very sharply, which means that standing passengers might be in danger of falling.

The automated bus has no trouble driving through roundabouts, starting uphill or even cornering and is even able to reliably stop and take-off from bus stations.

It is able to drive properly even when surrounded by cars and bikes.

This is allowed by the plethora of sensors mounted on the vehicle, such as LiDAR and even thermal imaging cameras.

Baş announced that more vehicles of this kind are to be delivered in Norway to advance the autonomy of public transport.

Germany is another country that aims to adopt the innovative transportation method which will power the future of public mobility.

German officials have prepared a legal framework that would allow for the implementation of autonomous vehicles on special routes.

German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said that "the fact that autonomous vehicles will be able to participate in normal road traffic in our country in the future is unique in the world and was an enormous feat."