Agency Report –
Berlin – Passengers in 15 German cities have access to driverless buses, according to a report by consulting firm PwC.
Major cities such as Hamburg, Berlin and Leipzig, as well as smaller towns are running pilot projects. Most of these initiatives involve so-called Level 4 autonomous systems, which can operate independently within defined areas and under specific conditions.
Munich leads with nine projects, followed by Hamburg with six, and Ulm with five. PwC notes that Germany, alongside France, is a pioneer in the field, largely because it has already established legal frameworks for Level 4 deployment.
However, Level 4 vehicles have not yet received type approval in Germany. Experts have long warned that the country’s patchwork of federally funded pilot projects often lacks sustainability.
“We don’t need more test trials or laboratories, we need to move to regular operations now,” Ingo Wortmann, president of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), said a few weeks ago.
VDV’s position paper on autonomous driving emphasizes that large-scale projects are needed, as manufacturers require significant vehicle orders to justify production planning.
The public transport sector, facing a severe driver shortage, has a particular interest in rapid implementation. PwC forecasts that by 2030 Germany will be short of more than 50,000 bus drivers – more than twice today’s deficit.
