Live traffic testing for Germany’s Level 4 autonomous shuttles

Six AVs will operate in city of Darmstadt in project involving Deutsche Bahn & Mobileye
By David Arminas July 15, 2024 Read time: 2 mins
The decision on all driving manoeuvres lies with the vehicle, although for safety there is always a driver on board during test operations (image: Deutsche Bahn AG | RMV | Arne Landwehr)

The first vehicle to operate at Level 4 automation in Germany is driving in normal road traffic in the city of Darmstadt.

Level 4 means that a vehicle moves autonomously - effectively driverless - within a defined area. For the first time, the decision on all driving manoeuvres lies with the vehicle, although for safety there is always a driver on board during test operations.

Under a project named Kira – a German acronym for artificial intelligence-based regular operation of autonomous on-demand transport - a total of six autonomous shuttles will eventually operate in Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach.

The driving manoeuvres of the vehicles are monitored by technical supervisory personnel. But passengers are not yet riding in the Kira shuttle. Interested citizens can later apply as test users and then book the shuttles via an app.

The project has required a Level 4 test permit from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. Kira involves a company from national rail and transport operator Deutsche Bahn, regional transport agency Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, Darmstadt’s transit authority HEAG Mobilo and the Offenbach regional transportation agency Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach (KvgOF).

The first trips of the autonomous Kira shuttles are to test the built-in self-driving system from Mobileye. The map material of the operating area is checked to ensure all data points along the road are correct.

Shuttles that can be ordered as needed - on-demand - can provide improved mobility, especially in rural areas. With drivers, on-demand shuttles are already on the road in 10 areas at RMV. Autonomously and thus without staff on board, such services can also be used nationwide in the future. 

The operator of the autonomous vehicles is the Deutsche Bahn company DB Regio Bus Mitte, while the Deutsche Bahn company Ioki provides the software for booking and route planning. Also, Ioki integrates the software components of the various technology partners. As a further partner, Mobileye is providing the software and hardware for the autonomous driving system.

The test and implementation phase will run until the end of this year but an extension is planned. Kira is supported with around €2.2 million from the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport, with additional support from the German state of Hesse.

Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection GIS/ Mapping & Location Based Systems Networking & Communication Systems Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS homes in on cycling safety
    April 9, 2014
    A new generation of ITS equipment is helping road authorities get to grips with cycle safety – and not a moment too soon as Colin Sowman discovers. Cyclists - remember them? Apparently not. At least not according to the OECD 2013 report Cycling, Health and Safety which contains the statement: ‘Cyclists are often forgotten in the design of the road traffic system’. Looking through the statistics that exist (each country appears to compile them differently) it is not difficult to see how such a conclusion cou
    Read More
  • Demand management schemes, is there a better way?
    January 31, 2012
    The European Commission is placing too much emphasis on the use of demand management, according to the FIA. Here, Wil Botman, Director-General of the FIA's European Bureau, explains why. Towards the end of last year, the European Bureau of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) released a statement which criticised the European Commission's (EC's) approach to urban traffic congestion following the adoption of the Action Plan on Urban Mobility. In particular, the FIA voiced concerns over what it
    Read More
  • Transit must be accessible to all, says SkedGo
    April 24, 2020
    When it comes to accessibility we need to embrace a more open and collaborative approach to ensure MaaS realises its true potential, says SkedGo’s Sandra Witzel – after all, a billion people on the planet have a disability
    Read More
  • Data exploits parking potential
    March 11, 2015
    David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.
    Read More

Highlighted Content