Revolution in public transport: Autonomous shuttle start testing in Hessen!
Revolution in public transport: Autonomous shuttle start testing in Hessen!
In Hesse, an innovative traffic project starts: Ten municipalities and counties together with the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) test autonomous vehicles in local public transport (public transport). This initiative, which bears the name Kira (AI-based regular operation of autonomous on-demand traffic), aims to establish on-demand traffic as a preliminary stage for fully autonomous driving.
The test vehicles, which are called Hopper, Siggi and Colibri, are equipped with an electrical drive and were put into operation as part of the project at automation level level 4. This means that the vehicles can drive autonomously within a defined area without human intervention. However, a security driver will be on board during the test phase to ensure security. The approval for testing at level 4 was granted by the Federal Motor Transport Authority, which provides progress in the development of autonomous mobility. This reports fr.de .
Test cake and project funding
The test drives in Darmstadt and the Offenbach district begin with the idea of reading routes for autonomous driving. The flexible transport offers can be booked digitally via an app and by phone. RMV Managing Director Knut Ringat emphasizes the potential of these offers, which should help in particular rural regions. As part of the financing, the RMV supports the municipalities with 10 to 25 percent of the operating costs.
The initiative is a reaction to the lack of personnel in public transport. By the end of 2025, security personnel will be on board in all autonomous vehicles. In addition, the Kira project is supported with around 2.2 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) and the state of Hesse. According to rmv.de Public transport tests.
restructuring of the public transport offer
So far, on-demand shuttles with drivers who operate in ten areas of the RMV have already been on-demand shuttles in the Rhine-Main area. Kira significantly expands this offer and creates the transition to autonomous vehicles. The software for booking and route planning is provided by IOKI, while Mobileye delivers the necessary soft and hardware solutions for the autonomous driving system.The test users will not be able to ride in the initial phase, but later an application as a test user will be possible via an app. A flexible and attractive public transport offer is the goal of this transformation, and the RMV regards the test offers as the key to sustainable and adaptable mobility in the future. The ongoing test phase also addresses an urgent problem: the increasing lack of qualified personnel in public transport.
The test drives will not only revolutionize the user experience, but also pave the way for climate -friendly mobility, which is particularly important in rural areas. The cooperation between the organizations involved, which includes Deutsche Bahn and various local transport organizations, is crucial.
With a decision about all driving maneuvers that are made by the vehicles themselves, a new age of mobility occurs, which not only entails technological but also social changes. In the near future, the way we move around could look fundamentally different, not least because of the progress that is achieved as part of the Kira project.
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