As part of the “Real-World Lab for Automated Bus Operations in Public Transport in Urban and Rural Areas” project, large, fully automated buses are being scientifically studied and practically tested. The goal is for the vehicles to seamlessly integrate into regular traffic, reaching speeds of at least 40 km/h in urban areas and 60 km/h in rural areas. One of the test locations is Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance.
On October 28, 2024, the scheduled test operation of self-driving electric minibuses began in Friedrichshafen, and the first passengers were invited to participate. Interested “test passengers” can register and apply on the website www.projekt-rabus.de .
For the first time, a highly automated minibus with passengers is being tested in regular street traffic. The two shuttles travel a 6-kilometer route between the ZF Forum and the hospital, offering space for up to ten passengers, including accommodations for individuals with limited mobility. With a range of about 100 kilometers, the buses are expected to reach speeds of up to 40 km/h in urban settings and 60 km/h in rural areas. They operate fully autonomously at SAE Level 4 and are equipped with advanced ZF technology for autonomous driving, including camera, radar, and lidar sensors for environment detection. Communication with traffic lights is established via radio, and the vehicles are connected to a control center via the cloud for monitoring. A safety driver is on board as a fallback, and a ZF engineer oversees the systems during operation. The vehicles, measuring 6.9 meters long and 2.3 meters wide, were supplied by eVersum in collaboration with ZF.
The RABus shuttles operate Monday to Friday, from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m., following a set schedule. The route from the ZF Forum through Hochstraße and Schnetzenhausen to the hospital takes about 25 minutes and includes 12 stops. In the first four weeks, the shuttles will initially only operate the inner-city section of the route, from the ZF Forum to Albert-Schweitzer-Straße. From November 25, the full route to the hospital will be serviced. The test period is planned to end on December 19, 2024.
A similar test operation is conducted in Mannheim as part of the RA Bus project, we reported here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/autonomous-in-mannheim-rabus/ .
Project Objectives
– Testing of highly and fully automated vehicles in different area types at practical speeds in real public transport operations, including public outreach.
– Demonstrating automated and flexible mobility offerings.
– Evaluating technical implementation, operational reliability, cost-effectiveness, user acceptance, legal concerns, and transportation impact.
– Assessing statewide transferability and developing policy recommendations for sustainable public transportation in Baden-Württemberg.
The project partners include the Research Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS), Stadtverkehr Friedrichshafen GmbH (SVF), which holds the concession for the Friedrichshafen area, DB ZugBus Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee GmbH (RAB), the Institute for Transport Studies (IfV) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF).
The Ministry of Transport of Baden-Württemberg is funding the project with 14 million euros.
