Without a driver and available as required: A new service for passengers using local public transport is planned in Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach. It should pick up speed at the turn of the year.
Darmstadt/Dietzenbach (dpa/lhe) – Driverless vehicles will soon be transporting local public transport customers in two test areas in the Rhine-Main area. From May, the first of the cars will drive through Darmstadt in a preparatory phase, Deutsche Bahn announced on Wednesday. In the following months, 14 more vehicles are to be added, also in the Offenbach district. From around the turn of the year, the cars should be bookable for anyone interested in the two municipalities and drive completely autonomously. They run as so-called on-demand traffic, so they can be ordered via app if necessary.
The starting model is an electric car with a total of five seats. In the first test phase, there will still be a driver on board, but no customers, the railway said. Later, test customers will be transported. The drivers are on board for safety, but no longer routinely have their hands on the steering wheel.
In addition to Deutsche Bahn, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is also involved. Under its umbrella, on-demand shuttles are already operating in nine cities and districts. The offer has been expanded in recent years to supplement local public transport. There have also been several tests with autonomous shuttles in the region, including on the banks of the Main in Frankfurt. However, the vehicles were only moving slowly. In the current project, the cars should drive at normal speed.
The new shuttles are to be integrated into the existing on-demand services in Darmstadt, where the “HeinerLiner” runs, and in the Offenbach district, through which the “Hopper” runs. Deutsche Bahn explained that this was a unique offer in public transport worldwide. A two-year test and implementation phase is planned, which will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport with four million euros. The aim is to win new customers for public transport with the flexible offer. This should make a significant contribution to the mobility transition and climate protection.
According to the announcement, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) referred to the lack of skilled workers among bus drivers. At the same time, the demand for more public transport, especially in rural areas, often comes up against economic limits given the low demand. Self-propelled e-shuttles, which can be called as needed, are a solution here.
