On 27 January 2025, POLIS organised the webinar ‘Preparing public transport for the age of automation’. This webinar was part of the Public Transport Lab webinar series held from November 2024 to March 2025 to explore the future of public transport and its role in sustainable urban mobility.  

Discussions on preparing public transport for automation have been ongoing among city representatives and POLIS members for over a decade. As early as the 2010s, cities began exploring the implications of automation, spurred by advancements in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and its potential impact on urban mobility. 

Since 2018, significant progress has been made at the global and European levels. Cities have begun developing strategies to prepare for automation; for example, POLIS member Vienna recently published a paper discussing the integration of automation into its transport system. At the same time, structured cooperation has grown through initiatives such as the CCAM partnership; European research remains a constant force, with earlier projects like CoEXist, PAV, and Dynaxibility4CE having been completed while new projects continue to emerge. It was now time to understand the status of automation in public transport today.

This webinar addressed three key questions:

• What are the practical challenges of piloting AVs in public transport in European cities?
• How does national-level implementation of EU legislation impact local initiatives?
• What lessons can be drawn from the pioneering efforts of cities and regions?

To answer these, POLIS invited speakers representing all levels of governance and a comprehensive range of automation expertise, including regulatory design, pilot experimentation, and long-term service development:

• Mohamed Brahmi, in charge of regulations for Automated Driving & Connected Vehicles at the European Commission (DG GROW).
• Aymeric Audige, former chief of Automated Vehicles department for the French Ministry of Transport & Françoise Guaspare, Senior policy advisor at Ile-de-France Europe 
• Gustavo Reyes, Project leader Smart & Green Mobility of Gemeente Helmond
• Sergio Fernandez Balaguer, Head of Department  International and European Projects, EMT Madrid

Advancing EU regulations

The discussion covered the evolution of EU regulations, focusing on the ADS framework for Level 4 automated driving, adopted in July 2022. This milestone aims to scale from pilots to full deployment by 2025-2026, with initiatives like EFAT ensuring alignment across national and international standards.

On-the-ground experiences

Countries shared practical insights: France successfully integrated EU guidelines into a robust national framework, while Ile-de-France pilot projects showed strong user acceptance despite high costs. In Helmond, the FABULOS project explores automated last-mile connectivity. Madrid’s EMT leads autonomous mobility trials, participating in major EU projects like SHOW and AugmentedCCAM, though some efforts face regulatory hurdles.

Conclusion: Collaboration is essential

Experts agree: automation’s success depends on cooperation between cities, public authorities, and industry—ensuring smart policies and seamless integration to benefit all.

Read the full report here.