Germany Trials Autonomous Public Transport

Germany has commenced trials of autonomous vehicles as a form of public transport.

On May 26, the KIRA project launched public trials in certain areas of the Rhine-Main region, encompassing Frankfurt, Mainz, and Wiesbaden.

Knut Ringat, managing director of the RVN transport association, anticipates that by 2030, KIRA will serve as an alternative to other forms of public transport, particularly in rural areas.

He noted that bus services in villages are “already inadequate,” and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming years due to a growing shortage of carriers.

“Today, more than 40% of our drivers are over 55 years old, which means that in the next ten years we will lose half. We need an alternative,” Ringat remarked.

KIRA operates similarly to other ride-sharing apps—users specify pick-up and drop-off locations and wait for the vehicle. The difference is that the car drives itself.

The project has been launched in Langen, but if all goes according to plan, it will expand to include residents of nearby Darmstadt by the end of the year.

In June 2024, researchers from the University of Tokyo taught a humanoid robot named Musashi to drive a small electric car.