Imagine instead of waiting for a bus that follows a fixed route, you just request a ride on your phone and a driverless mini-bus picks you up at your door. That's what AVENUE built and tested in four European cities — Geneva, Lyon, Copenhagen, and Luxembourg. The buses run on-demand like a shared taxi but at public transport prices, and they're especially designed for elderly people and passengers with disabilities. The project already carried over 180,000 passengers across multiple pilot sites before scaling up the technology.
Cities waste money running half-empty buses on fixed routes through low-demand areas, while passengers in those areas have no convenient public transport option. Traditional solutions — adding more routes or more buses — just increase costs without solving the last-mile problem. Meanwhile, elderly and disabled residents are often left without accessible transport at all.
AVENUE built and deployed autonomous mini-bus fleets with on-demand routing across 4 European cities, delivering 87 project outputs including integrated in-vehicle services, out-of-vehicle services, and transport platform integration through three complete iteration cycles. The system includes a "Mobility Cloud" platform that connects autonomous vehicles with existing public transport networks for seamless door-to-door service.
If you are a public transport operator struggling to serve low-demand suburban or peri-urban routes profitably — this project deployed fleets of autonomous mini-buses across 4 European cities, integrating them with existing transit platforms. The system enables on-demand door-to-door service that replaces underperforming fixed routes, with demonstrated operations carrying over 180,000 passengers.
If you are a city planner or mobility integrator looking for emission-free last-mile solutions — AVENUE developed a 'Mobility Cloud' platform tested across 4 demonstrator cities and 3 replicator cities in 8 countries. The platform blends conventional public transport with on-demand autonomous vehicles, achieving a tenfold increase in the range served by autonomous vehicles.
If you are an AV technology company seeking proven integration architecture for urban deployment — this project built and validated in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle services through three full iteration cycles across 87 deliverables. The consortium included 12 industry partners and built on Navya's experience operating 65 mini-buses in 22 cities across 13 countries.
The full EU-funded project had a budget of EUR 15,599,780 across 23 partners and 4 demonstrator cities plus 3 replicator cities. Per-city deployment costs are not broken out in the available data, but the multi-city approach suggests economies of scale. Contact the consortium for city-specific cost estimates.
The project specifically targeted scaling from pilot to full urban deployment, achieving a tenfold increase in the range served by autonomous vehicles and a twofold increase in average vehicle speed. With demonstrations across 4 cities and 3 replicator cities, the system was designed for replication. Navya's pre-existing fleet of 65 mini-buses across 22 cities shows the underlying vehicle technology already operates at scale.
The project was an Innovation Action with 23 partners including 12 industry players and 5 SMEs. IP is likely distributed among consortium members. Based on available project data, licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the University of Geneva as coordinator and relevant technology partners.
AVENUE deployed real autonomous mini-buses carrying real passengers in 4 European cities, which required compliance with local and EU transport safety regulations. The project specifically addressed road safety and included services for vulnerable users, elderly people, and people with disabilities, suggesting accessibility compliance was built in.
One of the core deliverables was 'Integration to the existing public transport services platforms,' delivered through three iteration cycles. The system was designed to blend with conventional public transport rather than replace it, connecting autonomous on-demand services with fixed-route networks.
The project ran from May 2018 to October 2022, with services delivered in three iteration cycles (first, second, and final). Based on available project data, each city deployment progressed through iterative testing phases. The 3 replicator cities demonstrate that rollout to new locations can follow a proven playbook.
The consortium of 23 partners across 8 countries includes 4 universities and 3 research organizations that developed the knowledge base. Based on available project data, ongoing support would come through the consortium partners. The project ended in October 2022, so current support status should be verified directly.
The AVENUE consortium of 23 partners across 8 countries is heavily industry-oriented at 52% (12 industry partners), with 5 SMEs driving innovation in mobility services. The mix of 4 universities and 3 research organizations provides the technical backbone, while the industry majority ensures commercial viability. Led by the University of Geneva, the consortium spans Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Greece, France, Luxembourg, and Norway — covering both Western and Northern European transport markets. The presence of established autonomous vehicle manufacturer Navya (with 65 buses already deployed globally) gives this consortium real commercial credibility rather than being purely academic.
University of Geneva (Switzerland) — use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup to find the project lead's contact details
Want to explore deploying autonomous on-demand transit in your city or integrating with your fleet? SciTransfer can connect you with the AVENUE consortium team and provide a tailored briefing on how their tested technology fits your specific transport challenges.
