Autonomous shuttle buses have been operating in Leuven’s city transport system since September 2025. Due to its complexity in the transport sector, this project is a Belgian first and part of a broader European collaboration in the field of sustainable mobility, made possible by funding from EIT Urban Mobility.
Vehicles and operations
Two autonomous shuttles from manufacturer WeRide have been operating in Leuven city centre since 11 September 2025. Engineers from the company first programmed the software in the vehicles. They then mapped the city centre using existing camera and radar technology under the guidance of De Lijn drivers. After learning the traffic patterns and completing sufficient test kilometres, passengers have also been able to ride along since 22 January 2026. The buses achieve SAE Level 4 (L4). Legal requirements stipulate that a driver must remain on board during every journey.
Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide is based in Guangzhou – it was founded in 2017. The WeRide ‘Robobus’ used in Leuven were developed in collaboration with bus manufacturer Yutong, where they are known internally as the Yutong Model Xiaoyu 2.0. The buses can accommodate 8 passengers and receive information about the driving environment from 20 high-performance sensors.
The buses stop automatically at all stops. Passengers must wear a seat belt. To ride, interested parties must register digitally in advance as subscribers or purchase a standard ticket in advance via SMS or the De Lijn Ticket App. It is not possible to pay or scan tickets on the bus.
What makes this project special?
This is the first time that autonomous vehicles have been driven in dense urban traffic in Belgium. Previous tests took place on closed-off sites. Thanks to a thorough risk analysis and cooperation between public and private partners, Leuven is serving as a test environment.
Who are the partners?
The project is a collaboration between De Lijn, the City of Leuven, Brussel Mobiliteit, MIVB/STIB, LETEC, WeRide (vehicle supplier, supported by the Renault Group), EIT Urban Mobility (European initiative), the Flemish Government via the Department of Mobility and Public Works, and the Federal Government via the FPS Mobility and Transport.
