SAFESTREAM forms an important component of a future overall system that pursues overarching social goals, such as climate protection, improved public transport offer and increased safety on the roads. This is how we secure the mobility of the future.

We want to contribute to climate protection. Our highly automated shuttles will therefore be 100% electric and locally emission-free. In addition, we at SAFESTREAM want to create a basis for attractive alternative forms of mobility and in this way reduce road traffic and thus lower local CO2 emissions immediately and in the long term.

 

The public transport of tomorrow

Germany wants to advance the mobility transition. The aim is to double the number of passengers in public transport by 2030. However, there is already an acute shortage of drivers for public transport. According to the Bundesverband Deutscher Omnibusunternehmen (bdo, Federal Association of German Bus Companies), there will be a shortage of around 87,000 drivers in public transport by 2030. Without alternative solutions, this discrepancy will bring the mobility transition to a standstill. Also considering demographic change, public transport is becoming more important than ever, especially in rural areas. It plays a key role in the provision of public services, and therefore, the financial sustainability has to be ensured as well.

SAFESTREAM offers an attractive mobility alternative with highly automated shuttles. In the intended Level 4 operation, a safety attendant is no longer required on board. A technical supervisor will be responsible for more than one vehicle, therefore, the ratio between person and vehicle changes from 1:1 to 1:n. That way, we can both counteract the increasing shortage of drivers and offer a long-term, cost-effective mobility alternative that particularly benefits rural regions.

Increased safety on the roads

In 2022, there were around 2.4 million accidents recorded by the police with almost 2,800 fatalities on German roads. It is no secret that the vast majority of accidents are due to human error. In autonomous driving with Level 4 vehicles, however, errors on the part of the driver, such as impaired perception, incorrect assessment or their own misconduct, no longer play a role. Therefore, autonomous driving also has a positive impact on road safety.

In all project phases, safety comes first in SAFESTREAM. Maintaining the level of safety for passengers and other road users is our top priority at all times. However, optimal road safety can only be guaranteed if all vehicles drive automatically. We take the first step with SAFESTREAM.