[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/13375\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESelf-driving vehicles: the road to cheaper, sustainable urban transport in Europe\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Groruddalen, a large urban valley in north-eastern Oslo, Norway, the groundwork is being laid for an important shift in city transport.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFive self-driving electric cars began\u0026nbsp;ferrying the public around the area in early February 2025. This marks a key milestone in an EU-funded\u0026nbsp;initiative to integrate automated vehicles into public transport systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Norwegian launch is the first of three planned as part of the ULTIMO initiative. The research team aims to lay the foundations for the world\u2019s first large-scale, on-demand, autonomous-vehicle public transport services.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe greening and digitalisation of the transport sector is a key policy objective of the EU, which is investing \u20ac500 million\u0026nbsp;in a public-private partnership on\u0026nbsp;cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe aim is to develop citizen-centric, safer, environmentally friendly and inclusive public transport options, while also providing important new opportunities for European industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOn-demand urban transport\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe other two trial services are expected to start later this year, in the town of Herford in\u0026nbsp;northwest Germany and in the Greater Champagne district in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ULTIMO team brings together transport technology companies and associations, transport authorities, manufacturers, universities and consultancies from seven EU countries, plus Norway and Switzerland. These include the International Association of Public Transport, Siemens and Capgemini, among others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe collaboration, set to run until September 2026, will create an economically sustainable model for \u201cdemand-responsive\u201d automated vehicles for\u0026nbsp;transporting people and urban goods. This means that, unlike unmanned subways that only follow their predefined line, for example, routes may vary in response to requests from passengers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe are talking about integrating shared autonomous vehicles as part of public transport.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EChristian Willoch, ULTIMO\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe key feature of demand-responsive\u0026nbsp;automation is that vehicles are fully autonomous within clearly defined designated areas like\u0026nbsp;Groruddalen. The system\u0026nbsp;relies on\u0026nbsp;3D maps, radar, cameras and connected infrastructure\u0026nbsp;for decision-making.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are talking about integrating shared autonomous vehicles as part of public transport,\u201d said Christian Willoch, executive adviser for radical innovation at Ruter, the Oslo public transport authority.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new automated systems will use electric vehicles. This should significantly reduce the environmental impact of road transport, estimated to be responsible for nearly a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to UN data.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBetter connections\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe push towards the integration of automated transport into public transport systems is being seen all over the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;EU\u0026nbsp;is a leading player in CCAM research, which it supports through public-private partnerships and EU-funded research and development initiatives like ULTIMO.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough these efforts, the momentum is building to set up\u0026nbsp;on-demand public transport services and eventually integrate different public and private mobility options into a single digital platform to better meet the needs of residents in cities, or even regions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EJust the beginning\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFollowing an initial trial to gauge user experience, ULTIMO has rolled out its app for public use in Oslo. It allows passengers to book and share a luxury electric SUV \u2013 the Nio ES8 \u2013 retrofitted with self-driving technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers\u2019 intention is to add other makes of vehicles into the mix, particularly European-made, as the service becomes more established. There is currently no charge to users, as part of the research being carried out is to assess pricing strategies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWilloch said that initial feedback is very positive, but acknowledges that the potential fleet of 10 to 15 cars by the end of the project will need to be significantly scaled up to function as a real public service.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe that to have an impact in our area and get people to reconsider using their private car, we may need around 500 vehicles,\u201d he said. The scaling-up should also bring prices down.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur calculations show that with scale, we will achieve a price per passenger kilometre that\u2019s lower than for private cars.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGame-changer for urban mobility\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAndreas Fehr,\u0026nbsp;a consultant on autonomous driving at DB Regio Bus, a regional bus subsidiary of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, is responsible for coordinating much of the work being carried out by the ULTIMO partners.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe believes that if such on-demand autonomous vehicle systems can be effectively deployed in the long term, they will be game-changers for public transport. But he acknowledges that a number of challenges remain.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt present, the vehicles being used still have a human safety operator on board. This already reduces human error, provides faster reaction time and more consistent driving behaviour, while still having human backup for complex situations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELonger term, the aim is to have no safety operator, but it would require further advances in autonomous vehicle technology, with enhanced sensors and the ability to handle unexpected events. Comprehensive remote monitoring technology combining human supervision and AI software would also need to be in place.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIt will hopefully motivate more people not to use or buy their own car.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAndreas Fehr, ULTIMO\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt will also require automated in-vehicle services to meet safety requirements of the passengers, as there will no longer be a driver.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERemote monitoring will allow real-time insights and 360-degree view of road conditions, while still allowing humans to intervene when necessary.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother challenge is the need to create standardised autonomous vehicle systems for public transport, which would make it easier to coordinate different services with one another and with\u0026nbsp;traditional public transport options.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re having detailed conversations with the different manufacturers to understand the basic information we can build on to create mapping and API standards,\u201d said Fehr, referring to application programming interfaces, which comprise connections between computers or their programmes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPart of the mission the ULTIMO team has been funded to deliver is to make mobility more accessible for those with fewer public transport options available.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s a big opportunity to provide increased mobility for people\u0026nbsp;who need it,\u201d said Fehr. He hopes the models that the team comes up with will lead to sustainable change in urban and suburban mobility, as well as to better access to transport in rural and less populated areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt will hopefully motivate more people not to use or buy their own car, but to use shared-mobility on-demand public transport,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the type of sustainable transformation we need as a global society.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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