Project ULTIMO – Fostering Automated Vehicles in Public Transportation

Voyagerr, a Modaxo company, is one of a group of partner companies chosen to support the ULTIMO project

ULTIMO, launched in 2022, is a Swiss Confederation and European Union-funded initiative dedicated to revolutionizing urban mobility through large-scale deployment of automated vehicles (AVs).
The project unites 23 partners from eight European countries, including technology providers, public transport operators, and research institutions.

Real-world deployment in three European cities

ULTIMO aims to deploy fleets of automated vehicles in three European locations, each with a unique focus:

• Herford, Germany – Integrating autonomous minibuses into the existing public transport system to enhance urban-rural connectivity.
• Groruddalen Valley, Oslo, Norway – Deploying automated shuttles as a metro feeder service, fully integrated with other traffic to meet daily mobility needs.
• Belle-Idée Estate, Geneva, Switzerland – Connecting key facilities within the estate, including a hospital, kindergarten, and restaurants, with AVs capable of self-driving on 99% of all routes.

Recently, ULTIMO project partner Ruter As has started user testing of its self-driving booking service in Groruddalen.

More here: https://ultimo-he.eu/ruter-starts-user-testing-of-service-in-groruddalen/

Photo above from https://ultimo-he.eu/deployment-sites-groruddalen-valley-oslo/ 

Voyagerr is one of the project’s partners

Voyagerr (with origins in the Scandinavian Trapeze Europe DRT business) and Modaxo are one of the 23 partners working together on the ULTIMO project.

As an established specialist provider of IT solutions for public transport, including on demand mobility transportation, Voyagerr contributes, among other things, to the project’s objective of developing technology solutions supporting seamless integration of vehicles and fleet management into MaaS (Mobility as a Service) and LaaS (Logistics as a Service) systems.

Why Project ULTIMO?

Launched in October 2022, ULTIMO is a four-year initiative co-funded by the EU and the Swiss Confederation.

Many past autonomous vehicle initiatives were limited to small-scale pilots with minimal impact. ULTIMO aims to move beyond these trials by establishing a fully integrated and economically viable model for autonomous public transport.

Beyond improving transportation systems, ULTIMO contributes to environmental and urban planning goals by reducing private car dependency, easing traffic congestion, and cutting CO₂ emissions and noise pollution. Its autonomous, door-to-door mobility solutions are tailored to enhance accessibility, particularly for elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and rural communities with limited public transport options. Unlike previous AV initiatives that faced high operational costs, ULTIMO focuses on cost-effective business models to ensure scalability and long-term commercial sustainability.

Photo above from Adobe Stock.