Autonomous vehicles could change how people move around European cities. From addressing driver shortages to improving accessibility and making demand-responsive transport more affordable, the opportunities are considerable. Yet despite progress in autonomous driving technology, turning these innovations into everyday mobility services remains a challenge.
For Europe, the question is not only how to develop autonomous vehicles, but how to create the conditions for their deployment at scale. This means looking beyond the technology itself and addressing the regulatory, financial and operational barriers that stand between successful pilots and services that can operate across European cities.
Making autonomous mobility work for cities
Introducing autonomous vehicles into urban transport networks involves much more than getting the technology right. Cities need to consider how these services fit alongside existing public transport, which mobility needs they address and how they can benefit residents. (....)