Highly Automated Buses in Public Transit: Research Project Kicks Off in the Pilot Regions of Styria and Carinthia

As part of the ROBERTA research project, a consortium of 19 partners led by the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria aims to lay the groundwork for the future deployment of highly automated buses in regular public transit service. Pilot regions with different characteristics will be established across four Austrian provinces. The pilot regions in Styria and Carinthia have now officially been launched at kick-off events. Test routes will be set up in the Deutschlandsberg area and the Lavant Valley.

In Styria, activities will focus on the Deutschlandsberg, Frauental, and Groß St. Florian region. Along an approximately 18-kilometer route on the existing Line 764 between Weststeiermark railway station and the town of Deutschlandsberg, highly automated buses are expected to gradually begin supplementing regular bus services from the end of 2027 onward, for a period of up to 12 months. By improving connectivity, the project aims to support the continued development of the AREA Süd economic region.

In Carinthia, ROBERTA will test highly automated buses on a 24-kilometer pilot route between St. Paul im Lavanttal and St. Andrä. Sections of existing bus routes will be supplemented through an automated demonstration service. Together with Kärnten Bus, highly automated buses are expected to gradually complement regular public transit operations starting in late 2027 or early 2028. The goal is to strengthen connections to the Koralm Railway and create a seamless mobility chain between residential areas and destinations.

Additional pilot routes will be established in the Austrian provinces of Upper Austria and Tyrol.

ROBERTA Takes a European Perspective

A European first within the ROBERTA project is the operation of a fleet of multiple highly automated buses. ROBERTA will demonstrate how decentralized bus operations can be monitored and managed through a central control center. This approach could pave the way for the future joint procurement and operation of control centers for highly automated buses across Austria.

These and other concepts relating to the availability and deployment of different bus models on varying route profiles are regularly discussed with an international advisory board. The project’s findings will also be fed into European expert bodies and initiatives such as the CCAM Partnership, EARPA, and ECAVA, providing valuable input for the further development of both European frameworks and Austria’s legal and regulatory conditions for automated mobility.

From Demonstration to Reliable Everyday Mobility

Federal Minister Peter Hanke emphasizes the importance of the ROBERTA project for the future of mobility: “It is not enough for a vehicle to be technically capable of driving. What matters is whether operations, safety, regulatory frameworks, and public acceptance work together. This is exactly where ROBERTA comes in. The project marks the decisive step away from isolated demonstrations toward large-scale deployment. Under real-world conditions, ROBERTA will show what is already possible, where limitations still exist, and how new forms of collaboration between transport associations, municipalities, and operators can be successfully implemented. These are not peripheral issues but key prerequisites for reliable everyday mobility.”

The pilot regions in Austria’s two southern provinces are managed by ALP.Lab, the innovation center for automated mobility based in Graz. In addition to support from the project’s funding bodies, the social partners, namely the Austrian Chamber of Labour (AK) and the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ), are actively promoting the advancement of autonomous driving in public transit.

For Dr. Christoph Knauder, Managing Director of ALP.Lab, ROBERTA’s greatest strength lies in its broad collaboration across sectors: “Automated mobility cannot be created by individual stakeholders acting alone. It requires a functioning ecosystem, and that is exactly what makes ROBERTA so unique. The project has succeeded in bringing together research institutions, industry partners, policymakers, public authorities, transport operators, infrastructure managers, and regional stakeholders within a single collaborative framework. Only through close cooperation among all participants can we safely integrate automated mobility into public transportation and create real added value for people.”

Mobility as the Backbone of Modern Economies

“ROBERTA demonstrates that automated bus operations are no longer a vision of the future. We are bringing them into real-world public transit service and, in doing so, laying the foundation for a modern, reliable, and sustainable public transportation system in Austria,” says Thomas Novak, Project Lead. His statement highlights the critical role that seamless mobility plays in supporting modern economies and ensuring regional connectivity.

FH-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schildorfer, Co-Project Lead at the Logistikum research center of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Steyr, points to three key sustainability aspects of ROBERTA: “First, we are investigating how highly automated buses can help address the growing shortage of drivers. Second, ROBERTA exclusively deploys electric buses. Third, together with the social partners, we are developing concepts for creating jobs and generating economic value in Austria through ROBERTA.”

About ROBERTA

ROBERTA (Real World Automated Bus Operation Austria) is a nationwide flagship project aimed at introducing highly automated buses into Austria’s public transportation system. Running from 2026 to 2030 and coordinated by the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, the project will test highly automated buses under real-world conditions in four pilot regions across Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, and Tyrol. The objective is to establish the foundations for the future deployment of automated bus services in regular public transit operations throughout Austria.

The project is funded under the “Mobility Transition” program by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

Further information about the project is available at www.roberta-bus.at.

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