Mobility transition: Handbook on automated public transport

Areas outside major conurbations are often not well served by public transport. A new open access handbook with practical instructions shows how automated, driverless shuttles can help to close these gaps.
(Source: Springer Vieweg)

Automated driving will lead to significant changes in the mobility system over the next few decades. This is what most experts expect. Automated vehicle technologies are already being tested in pilot projects all over the world or have – as in the case of traffic jam assistants – already found their way into series production.

There are also field tests going on in the public transport sector with smaller shuttle buses that operate on public streets without a steering wheel. Especially in smaller towns and rural areas, driverless automated shuttles could be a flexible and relatively cost-efficient mobility option.

Practical handbook for administrators and transport companies

The new handbook “Automatisierter ÖPNV” (Automated public transport) is a practical tool for the targeted use on the way to the mobility transition. Jens Schippl, mobility expert at ITAS, is one of the co-editors. The open access publication primarily addresses local authorities and transport companies. The focus is on rural areas or conurbations and regions that are not or only very insufficiently served by transport companies or associations.

Huge potential for expanding and enhancing public transport

The handbook provides an overview of the different lines of development of automated driving and the related potentials and risks for mobility and society. The authors emphasize that the opportunities of automated driving can mainly be found in the expansion and enhancement of public transport. Based on this, the book addresses all the relevant questions that have to be considered before launching a pilot project for the implementation of automated public transport. (29.01.2024)

Bibliographic data:

Yen, Robert; Braun Binder, Nadja; Pitzen, Constantin; Schippl, Jens (Eds.)
Automatisierter ÖPNV. Hintergründe und praktische Anleitung zur Umsetzung in kleineren Städten und ländlichen Regionen. Berlin: Springer Vieweg, 2023, 322 S., DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-66998-3
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