- Ruter’s tests showed electric buses could be shut down from China.
- Norway’s transport ministry began reviewing cybersecurity standards.
- Around 850 Yutong buses operate in Norway, with 300 based in Oslo.
As vehicles grow ever more connected, a new kind of security concern is taking shape. In Norway, public buses built by a Chinese manufacturer have become a focal point of that debate. Even thousands of miles from their country of origin, the company behind them reportedly has the capability to shut them down remotely.
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The discovery comes out of Ruter, the nation’s largest public transport operator. It uncovered the potential security risk during a secret test inside of its own sealed facility.
Cyber Check or Cause for Alarm?
During that investigation, it tested a Dutch-built bus along with a Chinese one. Those from Yutong, a Chinese manufacturer, had Romanian SIM cards hidden inside the system.
According to Yutong, those SIM cards enable remote software updates and technical troubleshooting. While that may be true, the connection also gives Yutong the theoretical power to stop the buses or render them inoperable via a software update.
At this stage, Ruter has emphasized that it has found no evidence of malicious activity.
The tests were part of a broader cybersecurity audit designed to assess vulnerabilities in electric vehicles. Ruter CEO Bernt Reitan Jenssen emphasized that the agency is now “moving from concern to concrete knowledge,” implementing new safeguards and tightening procurement standards to ensure full local control.
Who Holds the Keys?
These measures include creating internal firewalls, isolating the buses from external cloud systems, and working with national authorities to strengthen cybersecurity protocols across the transport sector.
Norway’s Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård praised the initiative to NRK, stating the government is reviewing risk exposure from suppliers in nations outside Norway’s security alliances. “Together with players like Ruter, we will ensure that this sector is less exposed to risk,” he said.
The issue comes at a time when Norway is rapidly expanding its fleet of Chinese-built buses. Of the roughly 1,300 electric buses now in service nationwide, around 850 are made by Yutong. In Oslo and Akershus alone, about 300 operate daily.
While Ruter stresses that the likelihood of a shutdown is low, the test highlights a larger debate about foreign control over critical infrastructure. “It’s unlikely that these buses would ever be used in this way,” Jenssen said, “but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it very seriously.”
For the moment, Ruter is ensuring that each bus can continue to function independently by removing the SIM cards, effectively keeping operations local and offline.
Photos Ruter
