Are the fully autonomous shuttles coming to Germany?

2023-10-22 10:15:13

The shuttles are to be supplemented by autonomous vehicles starting next year. Unlike all other projects in Germany to date, these will no longer be tied to fixed routes. “In the Harburg operating area, the cars should move completely freely and take every passenger to their destination on the shortest route,” says Kasch, who receives financial support from the Federal Ministry of Transport for his project called “Ahoy”. The implementation is expected to cost a total of 33 million euros, with 15 million coming from the federal government.
The project is one of four of its kind in Germany. And, if Kasch has his way, the whole thing could happen quickly. The first autonomous shuttles are scheduled to drive through the city next May, initially with an accompanying person and without passengers. In the fall, however, passengers would be admitted and the accompanying person would initially remain on board.
Kasch isn’t worried about demand. After all, the offer is already going well and the autonomous vehicles would make operations even more efficient – and could thus make expansion to other parts of the city possible. But there is one catch in the monthly schedule for the introduction of the autonomous service: the vehicles. According to Kasch, we don’t yet have a specific partner. The tender is currently underway. But it is still by no means certain whether this will actually result in a car company providing the shuttles, admits Kasch. “To do this, the manufacturer needs type approval for an autonomous shuttle and this is not yet available.”