Monday 8 March 2021

Driverless Electric Bus On The Road in Spanish city of Málaga

In a pioneering project in mobility, an Irizar ie autonomous bus has been launched on the streets of Malaga. The Irizar ie bus, a 100% zero emissions electric vehicle can be driven in manual mode or automatic mode (autopilot). 

It is 12 metres long and has capacity for 60 passengers. This first autonomous bus is the result of the 'AutoMost Project' funded by the CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development) of the Ministry of Economy of Spain.




The bus company Avanza is operating the vehicle with 11 partners, including the Irizar Group through Irizar e-mobility and Datik. The project also has the participation of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Insia, CEIT-IK4 and the University of Vigo. 

Malaga will therefore become the first city in Europe to have an autonomous bus moving through its streets. It will do so from the port to the city centre and, in principle, will transfer cruise passengers arriving in the capital of Malaga. 




The bus uses a high-precision positioning and guidance system and is connected to a control centre from which specific instructions can be sent to each unit and the buses can be monitored and their itineraries accessed in real time. 
This is the first test of this type with a bus of this size in Spain. 

The major innovation of 'AutoMost Project' is that it puts a standard size vehicle into circulation in a real traffic situation in a city and not in a reserved space or in a restricted area.