Driverless buses that arrive on demand

Two new self-driving buses that run on demand are taking to the roads in Bern. To achieve this, the public transport company Bernmobil is using a system developed by the Neuhausen-based firm Trapeze, details of which can be found in a press release.

The two autonomous vehicles are being trialed on the No. 23 bus route, which travels between the Bärenpark and Bern University of Applied Sciences. Passengers can book journeys with one of these buses via the Trapeze app, which allows users to schedule the vehicle two weeks in advance to arrive at their desired stop.

The Trapeze system optimizes the journey, while also taking into account the current conditions. It then sends the corresponding travel orders to the vehicles, which can subsequently process the orders in automated fashion. A supervisor is present only to monitor the process during the test phase.

At the moment, autonomous buses from the French manufacturer EasyMile are being used in Bern. The implemented software solution was developed at Trapeze’s German site located in Darmstadt.

Trapeze and its spin-off AMoTech also jointly initiated the Swiss Transit Lab project, which is based in Schaffhausen. The focus here is on establishing a research and development platform in connection with the issue of smart mobility under real circumstances. Also involved in this project are the public transport authority Schaffhausen VBSH in addition to the unit for regional development of the Canton of Schaffhausen. Swiss Transit Lab is also behind the No. 12 driverless bus route, which has been in operation since 2018 in Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the canton of Schaffhausen.