Autonomous driving opens up new perspectives for public transport. With this technology, public transport on the road is on the verge of a decisive development step. HOCHBAHN sees autonomous bus transport as a key lever for attracting even more people to public transport while making the service even more attractive and efficient.

That is why we have been conducting intensive research, development and testing in this forward-looking field for several years. We gained valuable experience in autonomous road transport as early as 2021 with the HEAT project. As part of the ALIKE project, we will be trialling an autonomous on-demand service in 2026 on Hamburg’s roads, with a focus on accessible transport (e.g. for passengers with reduced mobility).

At the same time, HOCHBAHN is preparing for the next stage of development – the deployment of RoboShuttles and RoboMidibuses on regular scheduled services. The aim is to supplement local public transport with additional, flexible services.

Together with the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), HOCHBAHN has published a white paper on driverless transport in regular service. You can download the strategy paper directly here:

White Paper Autonomous driving in scheduled services of local public passenger transport  - (pdf, 1,3 MB)