Munich seeks passengers to test autonomous bus

Munich’s public transport operator is looking for passengers to test an autonomous electric bus on route 178 in the city’s north. The service with test passengers is due to begin on November 17, BR reports.

The 12-metre bus has been making trial runs since September. A safety driver remains at the wheel, but the vehicle steers, accelerates, brakes and signals by itself. MAN Truck & Bus engineer Marc Radszus said the driver must stay highly alert and be ready to intervene.

The bus uses sensors, radar and cameras, but its driving can still be abrupt. It sometimes brakes hard, including when oncoming traffic is close to the centre of the road. Ali Tahtakiran, an engineer at Adastec, which supplies the bus’s software and sensors, monitors the systems and records issues for possible improvements.

MAN’s head of research and development, Frederik Zohm, said the trials were at an early stage and the bus still needed frequent interventions. The vehicle was still learning the route and could not yet handle every curve or weather condition.

The Munich Transport Company says route 178, between Petuelring and Freimanner Hölzl, is suitable for testing a range of traffic conditions, including main roads, 30 km/h zones and underpasses. About 2,000 people have already registered as test passengers, and more can sign up. Up to 30 people will take part on weekday test trips and then complete questionnaires about their experience and what they might miss without a driver on board.

The trial is being scientifically monitored and is scheduled to run until June 2027. MAN’s next goal is to replace the safety driver with an operator who remains on the bus but does not steer. A later stage could see the operator monitor the vehicle from a control centre and intervene only when problems arise.

Munich’s longer-term aim is to use autonomous buses in regular service. The city’s mobility chief, Georg Dunkel, said driver retirements and personnel costs were among the reasons the technology could help. The trials are part of the MINGA research project, which tests autonomous mobility applications in real city traffic.