"Individual public transport for the outskirts of Leipzig through the use of autonomous on-demand shuttles" is what the ABSOLUT research and development project stands for. It is part of the "MobiLE" strategy of Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB). As part of a project consortium, the aim is to create automated on-demand transport solutions in the outskirts of Leipzig by 2026 and dovetail them with the high-performance public transport services in the city center. 

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is now funding the continuation as ABSOLUT II. In the second phase, further steps are to be taken towards the later regular operation of automated transport services. The project kick-off took place on November 13, 2023 in Dresden.

TU Dresden serves as the central research centre for the project. The following chairs, three of which are from the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, are involved in ABSOLUT II:

• Chair of Vehicle Mechatronics (IAD)
• Transport Systems Information Technology (ITVS)
• Chair of Traffic Process Automation (VPA)
• Junior Professorship of Mechatronics / Vocational Didactics (MECH)

The ABSOLUT II project will run until 2026 and has a total volume of around 12 million euros. More about the project

You can find a detailed article on the project kick-off in the online magazine "Verkehrslage".