en.Wedoany.com Reported - Germany’s autonomous public transportation reaches a key milestone. The Federal Motor Transport Authority, under the Autonomous Vehicle Licensing and Operation Ordinance, has issued a nationwide test license for the Holon urban Level 4 autonomous shuttle, allowing it to conduct real-world trials on municipal roads across Germany with a safety driver on board.
The vehicle will be deployed in Hamburg’s Alike demonstration project, starting in 2026 from a dedicated depot, covering a 37-square-kilometer urban area that connects city parks, the Elbe River banks, and the districts of Schlump to Wandsbek. The project will gradually open for passenger rides, integrating autonomous driving technology into the regular public transit system and accumulating real-world data for commercial operations. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport is providing €26 million in special funding for this project.
This accessible shuttle has a top speed of 60 km/h and can carry up to 15 passengers at a time, autonomously handling acceleration, deceleration, steering, and obstacle avoidance, with only a safety driver monitoring risks. In the second half of 2026, the shuttle will open for public test rides; by the end of the year, it will move into a newly built dedicated autonomous vehicle depot, with a remote dispatch and control center established simultaneously. The current license is valid until the end of 2026 and can be extended, allowing the vehicle to operate on federal, state, and district roads, but not on highways.
Beyond Hamburg, Hanover and Leipzig are also launching automated bus pilot projects. Hanover’s public transit company Üstra began operating Germany’s first fully automated medium-sized electric bus, the Karsan autonomous e-ATAK, in mid-September, conducting regular route testing and offering rides to registered adult citizens. Research teams are simultaneously evaluating technical stability, passenger acceptance, accessibility adaptation, and ride experience.
Leipzig’s transport authority initiated its autonomous driving project earlier, launching the Absolut project in 2022 using Volkswagen Crafter small electric vehicles. The vehicles run between a suburban S-Bahn station and the BMW factory, covering a total route length of 7 kilometers. The vehicles have a top speed of 50 km/h, can connect with traffic signals, and are always accompanied by a safety driver, with all vehicles monitored remotely by a central dispatch center.
The initial Absolut project has been successfully completed, verifying the safety and controllability of autonomous buses. The local authority has subsequently launched the second phase, Absolut II, aiming for true Level 4 driverless operation, with the goal of eliminating the safety driver and relying solely on remote technical supervision from the dispatch center for multiple vehicles.
The research team is building a remote control and emergency takeover system, planning to complete full technical validation by the end of 2026. This centralized management model can break the traditional one-vehicle-one-person staffing configuration, significantly reducing bus operating costs and alleviating the industry’s driver shortage.
The accompanying mobility platform Flexa is also being upgraded, allowing citizens to book driverless shuttles via mobile phone for flexible on-demand travel in suburban areas, filling gaps in regular bus coverage and forming a complete network with existing backbone bus and rail transit systems. The German Association of Transport Companies (VDV) stated that the practical experience from Hamburg, Leipzig, and Hanover will be shared with industry working groups to accelerate the standardized deployment of autonomous buses nationwide.
