Making Autonomy Work in Public Transport
LH
Laura Herzig
April 2025
Autonomous vehicle interface
When Public Transport Goes Driverless: What's Really Changing?
Robotaxis are already operating in California and Wuhan. But Europe is taking a different approach — building on existing public transport systems rather than replacing them.
Key Questions to Ask:
- How can autonomy strengthen mass transit, not replace it?
- Where can it fill the gaps — first/last mile, late night, low-density zones — without creating new ones?
- And how do we redesign regulation, procurement, and operations to support those goals?
5 Key Challenges
1
The roles are shifting — and the old PTA/PTO dynamic will change
2
Procurement is still stuck in the diesel era
3
The driver shortage isn't going anywhere
4
Fleet utilisation needs a new operating model
5
Autonomy still costs more than people think
How Can We Help?
We support across Strategy, Design, and Operations.
We're not building vehicles — we're building the conditions for them to succeed.