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Autonomous shuttles from PostAuto: Competition or complement for taxis?
PostAuto plans to commence an extensive pilot project with automated vehicles in Eastern Switzerland from December 2025. Under the project name "AmiGo," initial mapping drives with safety drivers will be conducted. In this phase no passengers are planned yet.
In the first half of 2026, test drives with a selected user group are to begin, still under the supervision of safety drivers. If the safety and quality requirements are met, the first rides without human supervision are planned later in the year.
Regular operation planned from 2027
The regular operation is planned for the first quarter of 2027 at the latest. Then AmiGo is to operate as a fixed part of the public transport offering without safety drivers. PostAuto plans to deploy up to 25 electrically powered vehicles. This would make AmiGo, as things stand, the largest automated mobility offering in Europe.
"We bring the mobility of the future to Eastern Switzerland – flexible, digital and tailored to the needs of our customers. You benefit from an offer that adapts to your daily life and makes new mobility tangible. My special thanks go to our strong partners: Without their dedicated support, this innovative on-demand offering would not be possible. Together we shape the future of public transport,"
said Stefan Regli, Head of Mobility Services and a member of the Swiss Post Group Executive Board
Cooperation with cantons and federal authorities
The project is supported by the cantons of St. Gallen, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Thurgau. At the federal level, the Federal Office of Transport (BAV) and the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) are involved, as well as the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) and other partner organizations.
The technology partner is Apollo Go, a subsidiary of the Chinese technology conglomerate Baidu. Apollo Go already operates over 1,000 automated vehicles worldwide and thus brings extensive operating experience to the first European project.
"We are pleased that PostAuto has chosen Apollo Go as its technology partner. Worldwide, we already successfully operate more than a thousand automated vehicles with 14 million cumulative trips. We bring this experience into our first project in Europe and we hope that we can further strengthen and expand our partnership with PostAuto in the future",
says Liang Zhang, Managing Director EMEA, Baidu Apollo
Supplement to the existing scheduled service
AmiGo is intended to complement the traditional scheduled service in a targeted way – especially in rural areas or at off-peak times when conventional bus connections are only limitedly available. The service is bookable on-demand and enables the formation of ride-sharing (Ride-Pooling) when several people request similar routes.
The vehicles provide space for up to four passengers as well as additional luggage storage. The entire fleet is electric. The aim is to establish a permanent, flexible and demand-oriented public transport offering.
Positioning for the taxi industry
With AmiGo, PostAuto enters a field that has thus far been shaped by taxis and private ride services: flexible, on-demand transportation without a fixed timetable. The automated on-demand offering resembles classical taxi services in its concept and could appear as indirect competition in certain regions—particularly for short trips or during periods of low demand.
However, AmiGo is designed as a publicly funded offering and is intended primarily to be deployed where the route network has gaps or taxi companies cannot operate economically. In the short term, the project is thus more of an addition to the existing transport offering.
In the long term, however, "AmiGo" is regarded as a technological precursor to automated ride services and is likely to be of interest to taxi and rental-car operators as well. The experiences gained in the project could in the future influence operations, regulation, and pricing across the entire on-demand segment.
Data protection and informing the public
The data collected within the framework of the project will be processed by PostAuto in accordance with Swiss data protection law and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Before the start of the test operation, information sessions for the public in the region are planned. Dates will be announced at a later date. (Source: PostAuto)
Content automatically translated.
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