An airport in Europe has deployed an autonomous shuttle service. Called Robobus, the autonomous mobility solution is the latest addition at the Zurich Airport.
Developed by WeRide, the Robobus can accommodate nine passengers. This is also the first commercial autonomous bus shuttle project at a European airport.
It will serve airport employees along a dedicated route connecting the employee entrance at gate 101 to the maintenance area at gate 130. The Robobus service will begin in the first quarter of 2025, according to WeRide.
Robobus provided efficient shuttle services
The Zurich Airport service follows the successful deployment in Paris, where Robobus provided efficient shuttle services on a five-kilometer route during the French Open, as part of an ongoing collaboration with Renault Group to promote low-carbon public transportation solutions, according to WeRide.
“WeRide possesses a fully developed and thoroughly tested technology, meets all of the legal and safety requirements in place at Zurich Airport and guarantees that it will meet the data protection requirements set out,” Flughafen Zürich AG said in a statement.
Without steering wheels or driver cabins
WeRide deployed the Robobus in partnership with Flughafen Zürich AG and Swiss Transit Lab (STL), marking a significant milestone in bringing autonomous mobility solutions to a major European aviation hub.
The company claims that the fully driverless L4 Robobus was the first to be designed for mass production and launch as dìver-out Robobus service to the public.
“We teamed up with Yutong Group to manufacture the Robobus. Our Robobus represents a new form of urban mobility that can be deployed in a variety of public and private transportation scenarios. For public transport in urban settings, our Robobus was designed to handle open roads in all weather conditions,” said WeRide in a statement.
World’s first purpose-built autonomous minibus
“We designed our Robobus to provide a fully autonomous driving experience without steering wheels or driver cabins. The Robobus has a top speed of 24 mph with full V2X compatibility,” added WeRide.
The company claims that Robobus is the world’s first purpose-built autonomous minibus designed for open urban roads. It has L4 full-stack hardware and software solution and doesn’t have any steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal.
Its pure electric range is up to 200 km, and Robobus also provides 360° blind-spot-free perception.
WeRide revealed that at the foot of the Alps, Zurich Airport presents severe challenges to autonomous driving technology due to complex operational environment and climatic conditions. The company maintained that it successfully overcame these challenges with its strong technical capabilities and rich implementation experience, providing a mature and reliable solution.
The company claims that the latest step is built on WeRide’s successful European operations, including its recent autonomous shuttle service at Roland-Garros during the 2024 French Open.
