Zurich airport in Switzerland has started operating Level 4 autonomous electric shuttle buses with neither a driver nor an onboard safety officer. The vehicles drive themselves inside the airport, while a remote control centre monitors operations in real time.

Electrek and Zurich airport said on Sept. 13, local time, that the airport has been operating two electric robobuses from Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide without safety officers since early this month. Zurich airport said it is an early case among European airports to introduce this type of Level 4 autonomous vehicle in a real operating environment.

The project began in March last year. It initially had a safety driver in the driver’s seat, then moved the safety officer to the back seat and increased the share of remote monitoring to raise automation in stages. The two vehicles have driven more than 15,000 km so far to validate technical, operational and safety procedures.

There is currently no safety officer inside the vehicles. Instead, a remote cockpit at the ZRH Innovation Hub monitors them. If an unexpected obstacle appears, the vehicle stops automatically, and a remote operator can assess the situation and support driving if needed. Zurich airport considers this operating method to be Level 4 automation.

The first Level 4 trial will be conducted without passengers. Raphael Glaesener (Raphaël Glaesener), senior innovation manager at Zurich airport, said he expects airport employees will be able to ride the shuttles again after about four weeks of testing. The vehicles operate on a designated route between Gate 101, an employee entrance, and a maintenance area, and do not cross aircraft taxiways.

Zurich airport expects automation to help address a shortage of skilled workers and improve operational efficiency. It is also considering a model in which one remote operator monitors multiple shuttles at the same time. The pilot operation will continue until the end of this year, and the airport will review whether to expand the scope of automated vehicle deployment based on the results.