Bavaria relies on autonomous driving: the future of mobility begins now!

Bavaria relies on autonomous driving: the future of mobility begins now!

On September 9, 2025, the roundtable “Model Regions for Autonomous Driving in Public Transport” took place as part of the IAA Mobility. This important event was under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder and the Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter. The roundtable was initiated by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in cooperation with MCube, UnternehmerTUM and MZM. Around 50 stakeholders from politics, industry, local public transport, science and associations took part in this forward-looking dialogue. The aim of the meeting was to accelerate the development and implementation of autonomous mobility solutions and to promote cross-regional and cross-sector collaboration. This initiative represents an important step in positioning Bavaria as a pioneer in the field of autonomous driving.

Dr. In his speech, Markus Söder emphasized the ambitious vision of 20,000 autonomous shuttles and 5,000 autonomous buses in Bavaria. In a similar way, Dieter Reiter highlighted the economic advantages of autonomous driving for local public transport and freight transport. Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, President of TUM, also emphasized the importance of converting research results into practical innovations. Meanwhile, Oliver May-Beckmann highlighted the challenges associated with implementing autonomous vehicle solutions and the need for political support for these ambitious projects.

Sustainable mobility at the IAA

The IAA Mobility 2025 acts as a platform for dialogue between the public transport sector, politics and industry. A central concern of this event is to promote sustainable mobility through joint action. The car remains an indispensable part of mobility, but must reinvent itself electrically and autonomously. Various innovative ideas were presented at the trade fair, including multimodal apps, booking platforms and mobility hubs. The need to link modes of transport for a sustainable mobility transition is another focus of the discussion.

As part of the IAA Mobility 2025, flexible solutions such as on-demand shuttles, ridepooling and car sharing for rural and suburban areas will be discussed. A special open space at Munich's Königsplatz, which covers over 2000 square meters, offers opportunities to explore the mobility of the future. FUTURE NAHVERKEHR, an initiative within the trade fair, organizes panel discussions, live shows and keynotes to comprehensively shed light on the exciting topics of mobility.

Innovations for local public transport

A network of companies, organizations and initiatives supports the mobility transition. This includes partner companies that offer innovative solutions, such as:

• Delfi: ÖPV-Daten und Informationsdienste
• Kira: Selbstfahrende Shuttles für den Nahverkehr
• Microlino: E-Mikroauto für urbane Mobilität
• Minga: Forschungsprojekt für selbstfahrende Busse
• Neomind: Innovative Sitzdesigns für den Nahverkehr
• Sono Beacon: Optimierung der ÖPNV-Nutzung
• S-Bahn München: Präsentation neuer Züge
• Toray: Umweltfreundliche Shuttles mit leichtem Design
• Ultimo: Test von autonomen Bussen in Europa
• Voi: E-Scooter-Sharing in über 100 Städten
• DB Connect: Flottenmanagement und Car- und Bike-Sharing
• DB Vertrieb: Vertriebsinfrastruktur und Kundenservice der Deutschen Bahn

Public transport forms the basis for public mobility, which is necessary to meet growing urban demands. Rail transport systems represent the backbone of high-capacity mass transit, while Accelerated Bus Rapid Transit lines create important high-capacity transport axes. In addition, modular platooning buses and on-demand offerings can optimize utilization in urban and rural areas. These new concepts help to reduce private transport and significantly increase the quality of life in cities.

The introduction of autonomous public transport shuttles will usher in a new era of mobility, which will not only revolutionize the fine distribution in residential areas and central gathering points, but will also significantly reduce the amount of space required for parking spaces. This could redistribute valuable urban spaces for environmental connectivity, city life and green spaces. Comprehensive multimodal networking therefore represents an indispensable aspect of future mobility concepts and is being driven significantly by public transport companies as central players in the mobility transition.