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14h ago

Germany Reports 15 Driverless Bus Pilots as Hannover Region Readies 'Albus' Passenger Trial

A federal drive to ease a looming driver shortfall is pushing trials forward despite the unresolved Level‑4 type approval.

Steffen Krach (SPD, r-l), Regionspräsident der Region Hannover, Patrick Schnieder (CDU), Bundesminister für Verkehr, und Elke Maria van Zadel, Vorstand von Uestra, fahren mit einem autonomen Linienbus.
In der Region Hannover startet der Testbetrieb des ersten großformatigen autonomen Linienbusses im Straßenverkehr in Deutschland.
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Overview

  • A new PwC survey finds passengers can already ride autonomous buses in roughly 15 German cities, with most projects using Level‑4 systems limited to defined areas.
  • Üstra and Karsan plan to start passenger tests for the 'Albus' large-bus pilot in Burgdorf near Hannover on September 15, with trained safety staff and a driver on board to intervene if needed.
  • The Albus pilot is budgeted at up to €6.3 million, including about €3.7 million in federal funding from the transport ministry, and seats are available to registered adult participants at no cost.
  • Despite a legal framework that enables trials, Germany still lacks a Level‑4 vehicle type approval, and industry groups such as the VDV urge larger, sustained fleet deployments to move into regular service.
  • PwC projects Germany could face a shortage of more than 50,000 bus drivers by 2030, while comparable driverless bus services already operate abroad in Stavanger and on Edinburgh’s AB1 line.