Austria’s ÖBB Postbus is actively helping shape future technology with the help of Otokar's electrically powered e-CENTRO with fully autonomous driving functionality at SAE Level 4. The autonomous e-Centro will begin pilot operation at the European Forum Alpbach 2026, to take place in Austria between August 24 and September 4, 2026. Subsequently, the fully autonomous e-CENTRO is planned to be deployed in regular operation at the Wolfurt Campus.
Although the e-CENTRO is a Level 4 vehicle which enables fully autonomous driving, during the initial phase a driver is still required to be present inside the vehicle for safety. With Level 4 the e-CENTRO can, within a clearly defined operational area, take over the driving task autonomously. Under Austrian law, however, a trained safety driver is still required to be on board. The autonomous vehicle can accommodate up to 32 passengers and features barrier-free low-floor access with a wheelchair ramp. According to Peter Hanke, Federal Minister of Austria, automated mobility is important for Austria as a business and innovation location. “Autonomous mobility is an important element of a more modern, safer and more efficient mobility system and at the same time a great opportunity for Austria as a business and innovation location. Autonomous buses can complement and expand existing services, for example on the first and last mile, in rural regions or at times when conventional scheduled services are difficult to operate.”
With this project, ÖBB is creating the basis for gradually testing autonomous mobility solutions and, in the longer term, deploying them in further regions and additional fields of application. “Autonomous driving is no longer a vision of the future, but a technology with great potential for public transport. Our aim is to actively help shape this development and gain experience at an early stage. In this way, we are creating the basis for using new technologies responsibly and, in the long term, providing passengers with even better mobility services,” emphasizes ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä. The autonomous bus will initially be tested on a defined route as part of the European Forum Alpbach. Following the initial tests in Alpbach, the autonomous e-bus is intended to connect companies at the Campus Wolfurt industrial park to the S-Bahn. This will allow the contribution that autonomous mobility solutions can make to attractive and efficient public transport in the future to be tested under real-world operating conditions.