Autonomous bus runs in Germany

After a pilot phase of two years, Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) has decided to operate a second autonomous bus on the two-kilometer route between Bad Birnbach's railway station and the city center.

The buses are powered by electricity and run free of charge for passengers.The first autonomous bus on a public road was launched in the Bavarian town of Bad Birnbach in 2017.

"We believe that self-driving small buses are a clever addition to our big yellow buses, for example in areas with narrow roads or strict speed limits," the head of Berlin public transport operator BVG, Sigrid Nikutta, said, adding that bus drivers would still be needed as the driverless buses will not replace all traditionally operated vehicles anytime soon.