Helsinki’s Autonomous Water Taxi Revolution

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Callboats is pioneering autonomous, electric water taxis in Helsinki, which can solve many problems the archipelago is experiencing; whether it’s cutting costs, improving island accessibility, achieving carbon neutrality, or addressing a shortage of captains.

Callboats’ water taxi experiments proved that autonomous transportation on water is possible. According to Interesting Engineering, electric water taxis can be ordered via a mobile app, in what would be the world’s first commercial operator to offer an autonomous water taxi service, although current regulations require at least one crew member to be present on board.

Last summer, Callboats operated a regular boat service between the islands of Helsinki, and the price of a trip with a captain could go for over 50 euros, which is partly due to a severe captain shortage.

Pekka Koponen, Senior Specialist at Forum Virium Helsinki, claims that an autonomous water taxi system is an important innovation that could significantly improve access to the archipelago, saying that autonomous water taxis would be more agile, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective for travel to small islands than ferry services.

“In order to achieve Helsinki’s carbon neutrality goals in public water transport, the propulsion of the fleet needs to change. Transitioning to autonomous boats would reduce costs and enable investments in new vessels,” Koponen added.

Another advantage to autonomous water taxis is safety. Studies have shown that the cause of up to 90% of maritime accidents is human error. The autonomous water taxis have many safety systems that include sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence, which all provide a more comprehensive view than the human eye can.

According to Interesting Engineering, Callboats has two models and another one on the way. The first model they built was CAT 6- an autonomous water taxi that could accommodate up to six people and had a roof covered with solar panels that powered the vehicle. Callboats says it transported 7,000 people for two summer months with a supervising captain on board.

CAT 6’s sibling CAT 10 is a more extensive version that can accommodate 12-20 passengers, with electric propulsion that enables it to cruise at a speed of up to 6 knots. It also has a solar panelled roof which can power the vehicle for up to nine hours. The new model is a remodeled version of CAT 10 called CAT 10 L, it can accommodate up to 30 passengers and operate for extended periods between charging.