Automated Buses
on Austria's Roads

“Automated mobility is a central element of our transport system and thus offers great potential for affordable and safe mobility as well as for innovation and value creation from Austria. We have been promoting this build-up of expertise very successfully for years, among other things with test environments and mobility labs. In the ROBERTA flagship project, these strong players ensure that we create a technologically leading and usable showcase for the public passenger transport of the future.”

“The research team at FH Upper Austria is laying the foundation for integrating highly automated buses with more than eight seats into existing bus fleets. What makes this unique in Europe is that in four pilot regions across Austria – from urban and suburban to rural – at least one highly automated bus each will be integrated into regular public local transport for twelve months. ROBERTA is also to be brought into European projects on automated driving. International experts support the research on the project’s advisory board. At the same time, the project helps users of public transport in very concrete terms, because it secures Upper Austria’s high-quality mobility services for the long term.”

“With ROBERTA, the Logistikum in Steyr at FH Upper Austria once again proves its pioneering role in applied mobility research. The focus is on transferring existing technologies into the practice of public transport. This brings together technical, organisational and social aspects. In its character, the project is currently unique across Europe. Its special significance and high economic potential are also underlined by the fact that, in addition to funding from the Province of Upper Austria, substantial federal research funds are flowing into Upper Austria. Mobility is the backbone of a modern economy and a key prerequisite for innovation, growth and competitiveness.”

“ROBERTA shows that automated bus operation is not a distant dream. We are bringing it into real scheduled service and thereby creating the foundation for modern, reliable and sustainable public transport in Austria.”

“ROBERTA focuses on three dimensions of sustainability. First, we are examining how the challenge of the driver shortage can be addressed with highly automated buses. Second, ROBERTA uses exclusively electrically powered buses, and third, together with the social partners we are developing ideas on how jobs and value creation can be generated through ROBERTA in Austria.”