Joystick instead of steering wheel

Self-driving buses: joystick replaces the steering wheel

Klagenfurt is looking to the future: self-driving buses will be on the road for the first time next week.

(Bild: SURAAA/kk)

Next week, three autonomous shuttle buses will be chauffeuring Klagenfurt residents through the city center of the Carinthian capital for the first time.

The autonomous shuttle service with three self-driving buses, which travel without a driver at speeds of up to 20 km/h on public transport, will be launched in Klagenfurt next week. Project manager Walter Prutej has spent the past few weeks preparing a test route around four kilometers long between Lakeside Park, the university and Westbahnhof station - including bus stops. It is an EU-funded research project.

In Pörtschach, SURAAA (Smart Urban Region Austria Alps Adriatic) has been operating autonomous shuttles since 2017. Now it's the provincial capital's turn.

Trained operator on board
"The sensors on the shuttles ensure safe driving on the route. However, due to legal requirements and technical necessity, a trained operator is on board for every journey, who can stop and control the bus manually in exceptional cases," explains Prutej.

The four-kilometer test route in Klagenfurt has been prepared. Three autonomous shuttle buses are in operation. There is no longer a steering wheel; a joystick helps in an emergency.

Walter Prutej, Projektleiter SURAAA für selbstfahrende Busse

"But there is no longer a steering wheel in these buses. If there is an obstacle, the bus is maneuvered with a joystick. The joystick is based on the control stick of an airplane or the gearshift of a car and is used to move control elements."

This is why accompanying persons are trained for two days. "Testing will begin in the middle of next week," says Prutej. "If everything goes well, nine people will be allowed on board." 

A shuttle bus costs upwards of 250,000 euros. Normal traffic is involved. Overtaking will also be possible - so Klagenfurt is heading towards the future.