RABus: Real-life laboratory for Automated Bus Operation in Public Transport in urban and rural areas

The aim of the RABus project was to test automated shuttle services on public roads in both urban and suburban environments. This goal was successfully achieved by the end of the project on 30 June 2025.

Since autumn 2024, over 1,600 test subjects have been transported on more than 430 test drives – the shuttles covered a total of around 2,100 kilometres in automated operation. They proved themselves in both urban and interurban traffic and integrated smoothly into the flow of traffic.

The trial operation was successful: 99% of the journeys were completed on schedule – even under difficult conditions such as rain, fog or heavy traffic. Feedback showed a high level of acceptance of automated driving: 93% of participants said they felt safe during the journey; concerns about the technology were significantly reduced.

RABus was a visible component of the state's strategy for automated and connected driving and demonstrated that self-driving shuttles are no longer just a vision of the future, but are already technically and organisationally feasible today.