Germany sees self-driving lorries by 2027

Self-driving Robobuses will be operating in Germany by 2026 or at the latest by 2027, according to the head of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), reported dpa.

Hamburg, for example, could manage to have around 10,000 shuttle buses on the roads by 2030, KBA President Richard Damm told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung in a story published on Saturday.

Damm sees a widespread deployment of self-driving buses and lorries within five to 10 years. In the United States, many logistics companies are already opting for autonomous lorries for long distances and are seeking partners for this purpose.

The head of the agency in charge of road traffic cited numerous advantages of driverless vehicles.

"When there is no driver on board, but the computer is in control, there is no longer a need for driving breaks and rest periods, nor the obligation to monitor these," Damm said. He noted legal adjustments would be needed for this, but these would create incentives for investments.

Damm urged public transport operators not to miss the Robobus revolution: "The acquisition is admittedly expensive, but the advantages, the gained flexibility, are enormous," he said. Not all transport operators have this sufficiently in focus yet, but they should pay more attention to these possibilities, he added.

Damm appealed to politicians to swiftly continue developing the strategy for autonomous driving.