Supra-regional alliance for public transport

29 September 2025

Transport companies in Hamburg, Munich and Berlin join forces for smarter, cheaper mobility

Germany's three largest transport companies Hamburger Hochbahn, Münchner Verkehrsbetriebe (MVG) and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have signed a co-operation agreement on public transport, a press release said Wednesday (September 17, 2025). Hopes are now high that this supra-regional partnership will make public transport more customer-oriented, use synergies, cut costs and run more efficiently. The agreement also foresees industry-wide standards. The "Memorandum of Understanding" takes effect immediately and indefinitely

Focus on three fields of application

Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, automation and autonomous driving hold huge potential, but require uniform standards and scalable approaches. "Our shared objective is to leverage the opportunities presented by digitalisation and emerging technologies to deliver appealing mobility solutions that are closely aligned with our customers' needs,' said Robert Henrich, CEO of Hochbahn.

The strategic partnership will focus on three fields of application:

Autonomous driving: Up to 2,000 autonomous public transport vehicles are to go into operation in all three cities by 2035.
Mobility platform "MAX": Joint app for bus, rail and shared mobility services
Standardised sales systems: customers should be able to buy tickets digitally and uniformly.

Small autonomous electric bus outside of Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie — Driverless Holon shuttle in Hamburg’s “ALIKE” project

Hamburg expanding driverless transport

Driverless public transport projects are already underway in Hamburg. Around 10,000 driverless on-demand shuttles are planned by 2030 as part of the "ALIKE" project. In addition, a partially automated on-demand fleet is being tested in Harburg as part of the "AHOI" project. As part of the U-Bahn 100 project, a new CBTC train control system will be installed on sections of the U2 and U4 underground lines by late 2027. This system will enable the control centre to automatically control train spacing.

Automated standard public transport systems

The jointly defined measures will be implemented gradually between 2030 and 2035. "We want to become more economical and reduce operating costs through our joint automation initiative, " said Ingo Wortmann, MVG. "The entire sector can benefit from this, if the industry launches standardised systems on the market."
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