{"id":42565,"date":"2025-08-27T08:07:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T08:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/a-bus-without-a-driver\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T08:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T08:08:09","slug":"un-autobus-senza-autista","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/un-autobus-senza-autista\/","title":{"rendered":"Un autobus senza autista?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Imagine catching a city bus \u2014 and there\u2019s no driver in sight. That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening right now in two towns near Frankfurt, where Germany has launched its first-ever autonomous shuttle service operating in regular traffic. It\u2019s a major tech milestone, but also a social experiment that might reshape how people \u2014 especially in smaller towns \u2014 get around.<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to the future of mobility. Welcome to <\/span>Project KIRA<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Autonomous Buses Hit the Streets <\/p>\n

In the towns of Langen and Egelsbach, just outside Frankfurt, fully autonomous shuttles are picking up passengers on public roads. These buses operate at Level 4 automation, which means they can drive entirely on their own \u2014 no human input needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

To hop on board, all you need is to sign up as a tester and download the KIRA app, where you can book your ride on demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, for now it\u2019s a pilot program with limited routes. But it\u2019s still a German first \u2014 the first time ever that autonomous vehicles at this level are transporting real people in live traffic. A tech dream that once seemed like sci-fi is now part of everyday life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s Behind It? <\/p>\n

Project KIRA is run by <\/span>Deutsche Bahn<\/span><\/a> (Germany\u2019s national railway) and the <\/span>Rhine-Main Transport Association<\/span><\/a> (RMV), with support from local bus operators: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>DB Regio Bus Mitte<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>HEAG mobilo<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach<\/span><\/a> (kvgOF),<\/span> and the tech company <\/span>ioki<\/span><\/a>, which built the app and route-planning software.<\/span><\/p>\n

The high-tech sensors and mapping systems? They\u2019re supplied by Mobileye, an Israeli mobility company leading the charge in autonomous driving. Funding comes from <\/span>Germany\u2019s Federal Ministry of Transport<\/span><\/a> and the regional government of Hesse.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project also includes academic partners like the <\/span>German Aerospace Center<\/span><\/a> (DLR), <\/span>Karlsruhe Institute of Technology<\/span><\/a> (KIT), and <\/span>The Hamburg Transport Association<\/span><\/a> (HVV) \u2014 showing that this is as much about learning and innovation as it is about convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n

These Buses Don\u2019t Just Follow a Schedule \u2014 They Follow You <\/p>\n

Unlike traditional buses that follow fixed routes and timetables, KIRA shuttles work on demand. You book a ride when and where you need it \u2014 just like ordering a ride-share. This flexibility is a game-changer for rural and suburban areas, where public transport can be unreliable or even nonexistent.<\/span><\/p>\n

RMV already has 10 rural zones where on-demand minibuses with drivers are available. But KIRA takes it further: no driver needed, and service available even outside peak hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Professor Knut Ringat, RMV\u2019s director, explains, autonomous minibuses could be a solution for rural communities where today, buses might only run a few times a day. With self-driving shuttles operating 24\/7, public transport could become a real alternative to owning a car.<\/span><\/p>\n

Evelyn Palla, board member at Deutsche Bahn, adds that these technologies could make transport more accessible and cost-effective where it\u2019s needed most \u2014 in places far from big cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

More Than Tech \u2014 It\u2019s About Changing Mindsets <\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder sees autonomous driving as key to building a greener, more accessible transport system. For him, KIRA isn\u2019t just testing hardware \u2014 it\u2019s showing people that this kind of innovation is real and can improve lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hesse\u2019s regional Transport Minister Kaweh Mansoori calls the project a tool for social inclusion \u2014 proving that new mobility solutions can reach places traditional buses can\u2019t, and give everyone access to public transport, no matter where they live.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for Johann Jungwirth, VP for autonomous mobility at Mobileye, KIRA is a showcase of what\u2019s possible when cutting-edge tech meets real-world needs. Autonomous vehicles, he says, aren\u2019t just about convenience \u2014 they also bring safer, more sustainable ways to move.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just the beginning<\/b><\/h3>\n

The KIRA pilot will run in Langen and Egelsbach at least until the end of 2025, and there are already plans to expand the service to parts of Darmstadt later this year. Anyone can still sign up to be a tester at<\/span> www.kira-autonom.de<\/span><\/a>, although spots are limited.<\/span><\/p>\n

The long-term goal? Make driverless shuttles a permanent part of Germany\u2019s public transport system, especially in areas where regular bus services just don\u2019t work anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

But KIRA isn\u2019t just about showing off cool tech. It\u2019s about rethinking mobility altogether \u2014 from rigid timetables and fixed routes to a smart, personalised service that adapts to your life.<\/span><\/p>\n

And maybe most importantly: it\u2019s a test of trust. Are we ready to let algorithms take the wheel?<\/span><\/p>\n

In the German state of Hesse, that future has already begun.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine catching a city bus \u2014 and there\u2019s no driver in sight. That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening right now in two towns near Frankfurt, where Germany has launched its first-ever autonomous shuttle service operating in regular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":43605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[686],"tags":[8374,8375,1729,8376,6122,8377,8378,8379,8380,8324,8381],"post_formats":[626],"coauthors":[3870],"class_list":["post-42565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tecnologia","tag-autonomous-vehicles-it","tag-deutsche-bahn-it","tag-germany-it","tag-kira-project-it","tag-public-transport-it","tag-rural-transport-it","tag-self-driving-buses-it","tag-smart-mobility-it","tag-sustainable-mobility-it","tag-tech-innovation-it","tag-youth-and-transport-it","post_formats-articoli"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42565"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42572,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42565\/revisions\/42572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42565"},{"taxonomy":"post_formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=42565"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=42565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}