Since 31 March 2025, an autonomous minibus is on the road in Herford for the first time. The German part of the European ULTIMO project coordinated by Deutsche Bahn (DB) is thus starting test operations. Passengers cannot yet travel in the electrically powered minibus. There is always a safety driver on board who monitors all driving manoeuvres and can intervene at any time.
The vehicle has nine seats and one wheelchair space and takes part in normal road traffic. The maximum speed in automated mode is 40 km/h at the start. In the course of the project, the vehicle should be able to travel at a speed of at least 50 km/h. For the development of the vehicle, the technology group ZF has entered into a project-related partnership with the shuttle manufacturer eVersum from Austria, which is supplying the electric shuttles. The technology for autonomous driving comes from ZF. The vehicle has already been used in the RABus project in Baden-Württemberg, in which DB is involved. The test drives will start with one vehicle and the fleet is to be gradually expanded to up to two vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with a variety of different sensors. These include laser scanners (LiDAR), cameras and radar. ULTIMO in Herford is pursuing a manufacturer-independent concept that takes various vehicle platforms into account.
In the first step, the vehicle will only be on the road for a short period of time and will carry out so-called read-in runs. This involves updating the map material of a route stored in the self-driving system and ensuring that all data points along the route are correct. This commissioning process will take around four months.
Initially, a regular service is planned in the south-west area of Herford from the railway station. The exact route will be determined by the project team together with ZF Mobility Solutions, the DB subsidiary Busverkehr Ostwestfalen (BVO) and Stadtverkehr Herford (SVH). According to the current planning status, the first passengers will be able to join the service from the summer. A second shuttle of the same type will then also run in Herford.
For Deutsche Bahn, autonomous driving is a key component in the expansion of local public transport. Especially in rural and small-town areas, vehicles without drivers can become an important part of public transport services. Without autonomous driving on the road, it will not be possible to expand public transport to rural areas.
In order to find out how autonomous driving can improve the bus network in Herford, further autonomous vehicles are gradually being integrated into regular bus services. The aim is to use different vehicle sizes and different forms of operation (scheduled services, on-demand operation) in the same area and to establish autonomous integrated transport.
The project name ULTIMO refers to the ‘last’ major EU project on autonomous driving in public transport before the technology is ready for series production. The project aims to develop standards for how autonomous vehicles from different manufacturers can be operated together in local public transport systems.
As part of ULTIMO, 21 partners from seven European countries are working under DB project management to bring autonomous vehicles into regular operation in the three cities of Geneva, Oslo and Herford. Trial operations started in Oslo in February 2024. In Geneva, the start of operations is planned for the beginning of 2026.
The ULTIMO project is being funded by the European Union with a total of around 24 million euros and will run from October 2022 to September 2026.
(Info: Deutsche Bahn / City of Herford)
