The era of automated public transport is fast approaching, with a number of new projects underway around the world.
In the French city of Chateaurox, a consortium of six major mobility players – Alstom, EasyMile, Equans, Keolis, Renault Group and StatInf – is preparing the launch of a new, low-carbon public transport service with autonomous driving. The service will be at Level 4, without any on-board supervisor.
The first deployment of a Level 4 autonomous mobility service on this scale, this project -known as Mach2 – marks a decisive step in the development of automated public transport in France, and in Europe. The service will be operational from 2026 in the city centre of Châteauroux, with a fleet of 6 metre driverless mini buses integrated into the city’s “Horizon” bus network, and operated by Keolis.
The consortium brings together French leaders in mobility, each contributing its own area of expertise: Renault Group for the robot electric minibus platform, EasyMile for the autonomous driving system, StatInf for the validation of critical software elements, Equans for the Computer Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system, Alstom for the connected safety infrastructure and communication protocols, and Keolis for the operation and maintenance.
In Germany, the nation’s Clean Autonomous Public Transportation Network (CAPTN) has reached a milestone in autonomous shipping with the opening of the control centre to monitor and control the research ferry, catamaran MV Wavelab.
During an official test run in July, Kiel-based company Anschütz, a specialist in navigation and integrated bridge systems, successfully demonstrated the remote control of the MV Wavelab from a control centre set up on the company’s premises.
From the control centre, the ship MV Wavelab was monitored in real-time cruising at the maritime test site on the inner Kiel fjord.
In Malaysia, meanwhile, Sarawak has welcomed the arrival of a prototype of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) hydrogen-powered vehicle for its rail network.
Passenger services for the ART will commence in stages from the fourth quarter of 2025.
The service will debut on the city’s Blue Line, and two more lines are planned under Phase 1 of the project.
