Vehicles with Level 4 automation begin first test drives / Autonomous shuttles now on the roads in the Rhine-Main region
A pioneering project in public transport is hitting the road: the first public transport vehicle with Level 4 automation is under way in normal road traffic in Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach. Level 4 means that the shuttles move autonomously – i.e. effectively without a driver – within a defined area. A particularly special feature: for the first time, the vehicle is responsible for every decision on all driving manoeuvres. During the test drives, there will always be a safety driver sitting behind the wheel of the KIRA shuttles.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrtbundesamt) has issued the corresponding permit for the Level 4 test drives. The project name KIRA stands for “AI-based regular operation of autonomous on-demand transport services”. Project principals are Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Rhine/Main Regional Transport Association (RMV).
Over the next weeks and months, a total of six autonomous shuttles will gradually begin operation in parts of the city of Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach. They will operate within the service areas of the regional transport companies HEAG mobilo and Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach (kvgOF). For now, passengers are not permitted to ride in the KIRA shuttle. Interested residents can later apply to be test riders and book the shuttles on-demand via a dedicated app.
KIRA is the first project in Germany to test autonomous vehicles with Level 4 automation in public transport. All of the vehicle’s driving manoeuvres are monitored by Technical Supervision staff. The technology makes it possible to safely operate at normal speeds in regular road traffic. The KIRA shuttles’ first drives in June will focus primarily on testing Mobileye’s installed self-driving system. During this process, the system will check the map data of the operating area and ensure that all data points along the road are correct.
Autonomous on-demand transport services are intended to make public transport more flexible and attractive. On-demand shuttles can provide ubiquitous mobility,
particularly in rural areas, and are already operating with drivers in ten RMV service areas. In the future, such service can be provided everywhere autonomously and thus without on-board personnel. The mobility transition envisages intelligent networking of various modes of transport to enable seamless door-to-door mobility that is as flexible as your own car.
The autonomous vehicles are operated by DB Regio Bus Mitte. DB subsidiary ioki provides the software for booking and route planning, and also integrates the software components of various technology partners. Another partner, Mobileye, provides the hard- and software for the autonomous driving system. The test and implementation phase of the project, which is initially scheduled to run until the end of 2024, is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) with a total of around 2.2 million euros and by the state of Hesse.
Additional information about the project and the technology is available at www.kira-autonom.de.
From left to right: Arne Rath (HEAG mobilio), Prof. Knut Ringat (RMV), Dr. Arne Schneemann (Deutsche Bahn) and Andreas Maatz (kvgOF). © RMV/DB/Arne Landwehr
