Berlin’s autonomous bus pilot delays passenger rides, now eyeing autumn 2026 start

Delay confirmed

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has pushed back passenger testing for its autonomous electric minibus project, originally slated for the first half of 2026. The transport authority now says it aims to launch the service "bestenfalls noch in diesem Jahr" (at best still this year), ideally in autumn, provided ongoing technical modifications and operational preparations are completed.

So that it can start in the autumn, all parties are currently working on technical adjustments and the necessary operational preparations.

The delay could be less severe than feared. Berlin’s transport senator Ute Bonde had recently told the Tagesspiegel that trials would likely not begin until next year. BVG did not disclose the specific reasons for the postponement.

The NoWeL 4 project

The pilot, called NoWeL 4, was launched last year in northwest Berlin in partnership with scientific and commercial entities including Moia, a ride-pooling operator active in Hamburg since 2019. Unlike earlier small-scale BVG autonomous tests dating back to 2017, NoWeL 4 is designed to integrate regular public transport with flexible autonomous services.

During the passenger phase, five vehicles will operate freely within a roughly 15-square-kilometre test zone spanning parts of Spandau, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Reinickendorf. They will serve around 80 physical bus stops and additional virtual pick-up points, with routing determined on demand rather than fixed schedules.

Vehicle capabilities and safeguards

The fleet consists of VW ID. Buzz AD vehicles equipped with extensive cameras, sensors and electronics. According to BVG, they are capable of Level 4 autonomy, the threshold required for fully driverless operation. Nevertheless, during the test phase a human operator will remain seated behind the wheel to monitor procedures and intervene in emergencies. The vehicles will also be remotely supervised from a project control centre.

Broader context

BVG has been experimenting with autonomous driving since 2017, but NoWeL 4 is its most ambitious deployment to date. The project reflects a growing interest among German cities in combining traditional mass transit with on-demand autonomous shuttles to close gaps in the network and reduce reliance on private cars. However, the repeated scheduling revisions highlight the technical and regulatory complexity of moving from controlled trial runs to real-world passenger operations in dense urban environments.