Signal 3: Berlin and the Autonomous Mini-Bus
“We want to show that autonomous cars don’t have to be limited to luxury consumer vehicles, they also have a role in public transport” (Scott, 2017).
In Berlin, the Deutsche Bahn (the private-public German transportation company) is integrating autonomous vehicle technology into their public transit network. This is unlike many more well-known AV efforts to pioneer driverless technology for the individual which demonstrates an underlying issue with AV technology: it perpetuates an established power-dynamic. Berlin’s effort is a step to make AV technology accessible to the masses and rebuke urban, wealthy individualism.
The “mini-bus” would be an app-based ride-share that would supplement existing transit infrastructure. The ride-sharing aspect of this project is key to the success of initiatives like this all over the world. It requires a cultural shift that we become more comfortable with sharing space in order to become more efficient. The future of equitable urbanism lies in the embrace of public transit innovation like the project in Berlin. We need to make sure that cities are at the heart of this innovation, that AV technology serves all socio-economic classes, and that we utilize AV technology to increase services as demand fluctuates citywide.
Deutsche Bahn and Berlin’s Municipal Public Transportation Operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe are Cooperation Partners in the Area of Autonomous Driving. (2018, August 22). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from https://ioki.com/en/uncategorized/deutsche-bahn-and-berlins-municipal-public-transportation-operator-berliner-verkehrsbetriebe-are-cooperation-partners-in-the-area-of-autonomous-driving/
Initiative on Cities and Autonomous Vehicles. Bloomberg Philanthropies/The Aspen Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from https://avsincities.bloomberg.org/global-atlas/europe/de/berlin-de
Scott, M. (2017, May 30). The Future of European Transit: Driverless and Utilitarian. Retrieved September 29, 2018, from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/30/the-future-of-european-transit-driverless-and-utilitarian.html
