Kombinom 2: Combined Transport with Autonomous Shuttles

How could autonomous shuttles help meet the mobility needs of people in rural areas and make these living spaces more attractive while ensuring economic viability? The research project Kombinom by the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) and the Hochschule Hannover (HsH) looked into the possibility of combining passenger and freight transport.

The subsequent research project Kombinom_2 ("Simulation as a Decision Support System for the Introduction of Autonomous, Combined Shuttles in Rural Areas") builds on this. The aim is to develop a simulation application for the introduction of these autonomous, combined shuttles. The project is being carried out by the Research Lab for Urban Transport (ReLUT) at Frankfurt UAS and the DAS HUB at HsH in cooperation with SimPlan AG, Senozon Germany, and tbw research. The project is funded as part of the mFUND innovation initiative with a total of around 1.6 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. According to Prof. Dr. Kai-Oliver Schocke, project manager and director of ReLUT at Frankfurt UAS, current structures indicate a high need for innovation:

"The frequency of public transport services in rural areas is significantly lower compared to urban areas. Today's mobility needs are only partially met and with a focus on peak times," said Schocke, adding: "A demand-oriented, autonomous offer has great potential to improve the supply structure cost-effectively. By combining public transport and freight transport, synergies can be utilized to ensure public services."

As part of the project, scenarios for economic, temporal, legal, spatial, and social target parameters are being examined. They are also investigating how the joint transport of people and goods can be practically applied. The researchers use existing data sources and create a new, spatially transferable database as a decision-making basis. This will allow simulations of autonomous, combined demand-based transport for people and goods in rural areas.

Various scenarios analyze how logistics and mobility converge and what further developments are needed to achieve economic, ecological, and social value and improve the quality of life in rural areas. The planned project result is a simulation-based decision support model (EUM).

Basis for implementation in municipalities

The EUM should serve as a basis for potential implementation projects of new offers by municipalities, districts, and market participants. Pilot applications should thus be more quickly implementable. According to the project managers, the decision was made to use a simulation application because strong interactions, such as in route planning or vehicle equipment, could not be estimated or analytically specified in advance for area-specific ideal concepts and impacts. The targeted simulation solution thus represents an effective and resource-efficient way to develop and virtually test combined transport models and concepts.

Prof. Dr. Christoph von Viebahn of HsH envisions a detailed concept as well as a viable solution for future traffic, especially in areas where sharing concepts are scarce. He also sees some opportunities in the concept.

"People and goods have different peak times when they need to be transported. Covering both types of traffic with one vehicle offers the possibility to better utilize the fleet and drivers, thus significantly reducing waiting times. In the short term (with today's vehicles), better service can be provided in rural areas. The later use of autonomous vehicles offers further potential to bring contemporary mobility to a wider area," said von Viebahn.