DB & RMV launch autonomous on-demand shuttles with Nio and Mobileye: The SUV drives itself

The Deutsche Bahn speaks of a "revolution in public transport": In Darmstadt and the Offenbach district, a completely new type of mobility will start as a pilot project in May this year. The DB group, together with the Rhein-Main Transport Association (RMV) and local partners HEAG mobilo and Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach (kvgOF), are testing automated shuttles. The fully electric luxury SUV models of the ES8 type from the Chinese manufacturer Nio are supposed to operate later without drivers at normal speeds in regular traffic. Such an offer within public transport is currently unique worldwide.

"Currently, there is no German automobile manufacturer that offers autonomous vehicles that meet the criteria for regular operation in public transport. Therefore, we are working together with German car manufacturers on solutions to enable traffic with European/German-made vehicles in the medium term," a railway spokesperson explained.

Mobileye stated that there were three requirements: First, the vehicle should be capable of autonomous driving at level 4, second, it should be available immediately. And third, it should be ensured that a safety driver can be eliminated in the future.

"The manufacturer NIO was able to meet these requirements, and we have therefore been using the ES8 as the basis for our robotaxi," a spokesperson explained to VM.

The two-year test and implementation phase of the project is enabled by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing has handed over a corresponding funding commitment of four million euros to the project partners.

"Especially in rural areas, the demand for more public transport often reaches its economic limits due to low demand. In addition, by 2030, Germany will be short of around 87,000 bus drivers. This combination poses a major problem for us because we urgently need public transport to achieve our climate goals," stated Volker Wissing.

He sees self-driving e-shuttles that can be called on demand as "a real game changer, especially for rural areas." This is not science fiction, but already from next year part of the regular public transport offer in our country, Wissing further promoted. Evelyn Palla, Executive Board Member for Regional Transport at Deutsche Bahn AG, sees a "new chapter in public transport" and considers autonomous vehicles a "huge opportunity to advance the mobility revolution, even in rural areas."

"Together with our subsidiaries CleverShuttle and ioki, we make public transport as convenient and flexible as a private car," Palla advertised. 

Knut Ringat, Managing Director of Rhein-Main Transport Association, points to over 400,000 passengers, almost two million kilometers traveled, and the German Mobility Award 2022 in the Best Practice category, which identifies on-demand services in RMV as a success story and the "ideal complement to bus and train."

"Autonomous vehicles are both a revolution and the next logical step. Without drivers, the vehicles can be used even more flexibly, which especially benefits rural areas," says Ringat. 

An autonomous vehicle will be on the road in Darmstadt for the first time in May. In the months following, 14 more vehicles will be added. Eight will operate in the Offenbach district, and seven in Darmstadt. In the first test phase, all shuttles will run with specially trained drivers and without passengers. After a successful second test phase with test customers, the vehicles will be integrated into the existing on-demand services in Darmstadt ("HeinerLiner") and the Offenbach district ("kvgOF Hopper") and will then be bookable for anyone interested. DB and RMV have been cooperating since 2020 in the largest on-demand network in Germany. Under the RMV umbrella, the service is offered in a total of nine cities and districts.

More than 100 vehicles already in use at RMV

As part of the project, more than 100 on-demand vehicles will be in operation by the end of the year, serving more than 3,000 virtual stops. Due to its size and near-round-the-clock availability, the on-demand service is a standalone pillar in the region's transport concept. The declared goal of RMV and DB is to attract new customers to public transport through flexible on-demand services. This aims to make a significant contribution to the mobility revolution and climate protection.

In addition to RMV and DB, the local transport companies HEAG mobilo and Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach (kvgOF) are involved in the project for "AI-based regular operation of autonomous on-demand services" (KIRA). The DB subsidiary CleverShuttle operates the autonomous vehicles. The DB subsidiary ioki provides the software for booking and route planning. The project partner specializing in autonomous vehicles, Mobileye, supplies the autonomous driving system. The German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) are also part of the BMDV-funded research support.