Baden-Württemberg extends pilot project for robo-buses in Friedrichshafen
The RABus joint project for autonomous minibuses is being extended. Initial findings from the accompanying research are available on the use of shuttles.
Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) announced the extension of the RABus joint project. In Friedrichshafen, autonomous shuttles are to be on the road until mid-2025.
(Image: ZF Friedrichshafen AG)
Self-driving minibuses will be roaming the streets of Friedrichshafen for a few more months. At the end of the first funding phase, Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) has now announced that the joint project RABus ("Real-world laboratory for automated bus operation") will be extended in the city on Lake Constance. Passengers will be able to use the autonomous shuttles until the end of June 2025. This should help to gain additional insights for the future use of automated vehicles in local public transport –, particularly with regard to urban-rural connections.
The initiative was launched in September 2020. Four years later, ZF Friedrichhafen received "Level 4" approval for the technology partner's shuttles from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. This allows fully automated driving. A human no longer has to be constantly on hand to intervene. Following the successful completion of several years of test operation, the so-called trial phase began in Friedrichshafen and Mannheim on October 28, during which selected passengers were allowed on board for the first time. The project, which was funded by the state to the tune of 14 million euros, was actually due to come to an end at the end of the year.
Isolated concerns about safety
"RABus and similar research projects are leading the way for the future of climate-neutral transportation," says Hermann, explaining the partial extension. "Rural regions in particular can be much better connected to public transport in the future thanks to autonomous shuttles." The great interest shown by people in the state in a test drive with RABus is a very positive sign.
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A total of 1450 citizens have registered for a test drive so far, report accompanying researchers from the transportation department of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). They have found out, for example, that the use of robo-buses is also promising on the first and last mile: Interested parties wanted to use the service primarily to bridge gaps in the public transport offering and on shorter routes. "Isolated reservations" about safety aspects, for example, have often been overcome "through explanations and discussions". The consortium also includes the Stuttgart Research Institute for Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines, DB Regio Alb-Bodensee and Stadtverkehr Friedrichshafen.
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