On the outskirts of Finland's capital city a bus is on a hot lap around a university.

Key points: Finnish law requires vehicles to have a driver, but does not say they must be in the vehicle

Finnish law requires vehicles to have a driver, but does not say they must be in the vehicle EZ10s have nine seats and a top speed of 40km/h

EZ10s have nine seats and a top speed of 40km/h Cannot yet cope well unpredictable humans or animals

When I say hot lap, it is worth clarifying the vehicle's top speed is about 40 kilometres per hour.

And even the word bus might be a tiny bit grand.

The EZ10 looks like an aerodynamically challenged people mover, sounds like an electric golf-cart and can only carry nine at a time.

But significantly, it doesn't have a driver on board.

"Think of it like an elevator but for the road," says Harri Santamala from Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, as we watch on.

"This could be an important part in public transport systems."

What does it do?

The EZ10 driverless shuttle is one of several automated vehicles being developed across the globe.

It is specifically designed for that small, inconvenient distance between train station, bus stop and doorstep.

Harri Santamala says there is still a way to go, but the EZ10 could be an important part of public transport systems. ( ABC News: James Glenday )

A couple of kilometres walk or ride might be fine in the sunshine.

But in the rain or snow — and Finland gets plenty of both — it can be a bit much.

The vehicles could operate to a timetable on a route around a suburb at peak hour and during quiet times function more like a taxi, providing a direct service to the door.

It's hoped they will supplement, not replace, conventional buses and one day be cheaper and more flexible than other modes of transport.

"Well it's not quite true to say they don't have a driver, they technically do but then again so did elevators at first," Mr Santamala says.

"Finnish road legislation says we need to have a human driver but no-one says that the driver has to hold the steering wheel or that the driver has to be in the vehicle."

A driver can also legally control many vehicles at once, paving the way for one person to, theoretically, supervise perhaps a dozen shuttles at a time in a busy suburb.

Finland's road rules were drafted in the 1970s and it seems unlikely lawmakers had driverless buses in mind.

But Mr Santamala says it's been great for the automation industry, allowing companies to test their products in busy, real-life conditions.

"In public transport though we shouldn't go completely automated," he says.

"It's important for the customers that like in an elevator we can press a button and speak to a real person."

When will they be ready to hit the road?

It will be a while until this type of transport becomes widespread.

The buses can be programmed to stop when there's danger and even drive according to the weather, or traffic conditions.

The EZ10s cannot yet cope well with unpredictable pedestrians or cyclists, or badly parked bikes. ( ABC News: James Glenday )

But there are concerns about the potential for automated vehicles to be hacked and issues surrounding communication with the home base, and one big obstacle is us.

Humans and animals are unpredictable — the EZ10 finds that "difficult".

"We've found people might park too close to our programmed route or overtake the bus suddenly, which can cause the vehicle to stop, slow down or get blocked," Mr Santamala says.

"We want these to operate in crowded areas, so there is still a way to go but we're confident in the future."