Pilot project with remote-controlled shuttle buses starts in May in Düsseldorf
Mira's remote driving stand at Xponential
(Bild: ctillmann / Messe Düsseldorf)
Two buses without drivers are to transport passengers to Düsseldorf Airport from May. The vehicles are controlled remotely.
In Düsseldorf, two remotely controlled shuttle buses are to transport passengers to the airport in the future. The pilot project for teleoperation will start in May, according to the initiators.
The shuttles are to run between the airport train station or EUREF Campus and the airport terminal. The approximately 2.5 kilometers run entirely on public roads, announced the project partners Mira, Rheinmetall and Rheinbahn [1]. Rheinbahn is the local public transport operator. Mira, a subsidiary of the armaments group and automotive supplier Rheinmetall, is developing a system for the teleoperation of vehicles.
The vehicle is controlled from a control center. The driver sits at a control station with several monitors showing the vehicle's surroundings. Data transmission is via mobile radio.
The shuttles are to run on demand. Initially, safety personnel will travel on board to intervene in emergencies. The aim of the project is to test “the remote control of vehicles as a key technology for the flexible and economical use of demand-driven ('on-demand') shuttle vehicles in urban areas” and to “further develop and systematically evaluate the technology under real traffic conditions.”
Demonstration at the Xponential robotics trade fair
Mira presented the technology at Xponential. There, an employee remotely controlled a vehicle driving on the outdoor premises from within the exhibition hall. Xponential is a trade fair for autonomous technologies and robotics in Düsseldorf, which ends today, Thursday.
“Public transport faces structural challenges in terms of personnel and financing. If we want to ensure reliability, we must consistently examine technological options,” said Rheinbahn CEO Annette Grabbe. “That's why we are breaking new ground and testing technologies where they need to work: in everyday life. The test operation of teleoperated shuttle vehicles on public roads is an important step.”
The legal basis for such a service was created by the federal government last year [2]: the ordinance on exceptions to road traffic regulations for remotely controlled motor vehicles, or StVFernLV for short, has been in force since December 1, 2025. This allows cars to be steered from the outside, for example, from a control center, through road traffic.
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This article was originally published in German [8]. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
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[1] https://www.rheinmetall.com/de/media/news-watch/news/2026/03/2026-03-26-rheinmetall-und-rheinbahn-starten-pilotbetrieb-fuer-teleoperiertes-fahren
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