Île-de-France Mobilités to launch autonomous public transport project

Île-de-France Mobilités has announced a strategic program to launch the region's first autonomous public transport service. Valérie Pécresse, president of both the organization and the Île-de-France region, stated the ambition is to become a global reference for autonomous collective transport to reduce traffic congestion.

The project aims to deploy a fleet of approximately 100 autonomous vehicles by 2030, with an annual budget of up to 20 million euros during the deployment phase. The initiative focuses on mass-produced autonomous minibuses and microbuses designed for public transit, rather than individual robotaxis, which Pécresse noted often suffer from low occupancy rates.

The rollout will be phased: operator and vehicle selection strategies will be defined in late 2026, followed by competitive tenders in 2027. A pilot service featuring roughly 20 vehicles is scheduled to begin in early 2028 in areas such as Paris-Saclay, Versailles Grand Parc, or Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. These vehicles will serve low-frequency lines, peripheral zones, or off-peak hours to complement existing networks. There are plans to eventually integrate these services into the Navigo subscription system.