The ALIKE project: autonomous on-demand ridepooling in Hamburg

HOCHBAHN has joined forces with the on-demand service provider MOIA and the vehicle manufacturers Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and HOLON as the lead partner in the ALIKE project to develop a unique ridepooling system for Hamburg. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is also involved as a research partner.

The system that is now being developed should be easy for passengers to book, socially accepted, based on a clear legal foundation, ideally transferable across regions and also usable in rural areas. ALIKE is being supported by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with funding totalling 26 million euros.

The pilot operation, which will still have a vehicle attendant on board, is initially intended to gather important experience for later operation and create the conditions for the legal framework for autonomous vehicles.

HOCHBAHN has already gained experience with HEAT

HOCHBAHN has already demonstrated how an automated minibus can function in urban transport with the HEAT project in HafenCity from 2019 to 2021. The project was one of the first in the world to realise autonomous driving in local public transport on a defined route without planned intervention by driving personnel. The ALIKE project will now take the next step into on-demand operation.