Autonomous On-Demand Bus Madrid Tests Flexible Public Transportation in the Logistics Center

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Autonomous driving leaves the test track and becomes part of everyday life. Spain's first autonomous on-demand bus is launching in Madrid. The pilot project combines driverless electromobility, 5G connectivity, and demand-driven public transportation to test new concepts for public transit in European cities.

Madrid has started operating Spain's first autonomous on-demand bus. The pilot project is being developed as part of the EU research project "MOBILITIES FOR EU" and aims to demonstrate how automated, connected, and locally emission-free mobility solutions can be used in complex urban environments.

The deployment site is Mercamadrid, Spain's largest food wholesale platform. Every day, more than 20,000 people and around 15,000 vehicles move there. The high traffic density makes the area a challenging test environment for automated traffic systems.

The bus operated by Alsa is fully electric and combines two different operating models. During peak hours, the vehicle runs on a fixed schedule coordinated with the existing public transport system. Outside these times, passengers can request their ride via a smartphone app. The system clusters incoming requests and dynamically adjusts the route based on current demand.

Technically, the pilot project is based on the interplay of autonomous driving systems, extensive sensors, and a 5G data connection. The constant communication enables vehicle data to be transmitted in real time and the operation to be continuously monitored. At the same time, sensors provide the information required for safe navigation in dense traffic.

In addition to technical testing, the project focuses on practical usage. The project partners aim to examine how passengers accept the service, how reliably it operates in everyday use, and what operational advantages the flexible on-demand approach offers. The results will serve as a basis for the potential deployment of similar systems in other European cities.

The Project Behind It

The pilot project is part of the EU-funded research project "MOBILITIES FOR EU," implemented within the framework of the "Horizon Europe" program and the European mission "Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities." The consortium includes 29 partners from nine European countries. Madrid and Dresden serve as the so-called Lead Cities, testing a total of 27 innovative mobility solutions in 11 pilot projects. Five additional cities—Espoo, Gdańsk, Ioannina, Sarajevo, and Trenčín—are expected to later adopt successful concepts and adapt them to their specific requirements. The focus is on electrification, automation, and networking of passenger and freight transport as well as their integration into existing transport infrastructures.

For Madrid, the project encompasses much more than the autonomous bus. Around Mercamadrid and the nearby depot of the municipal transport operator EMT, a total of five pilot initiatives are being implemented. These include intelligent charging infrastructures, bidirectional charging (Vehicle-to-Grid), renewable energy supply with battery storage, hydrogen applications for bus transport, and digital platforms for networking vehicles and infrastructure. The autonomous on-demand bus is thus part of a comprehensive living lab designed to test new mobility and energy concepts under real-world conditions.