Germany: RMV, Deutsche Bahn and HOLON launch KIRA+ for Level 4 autonomous public transport in Rhine-Main region

RMV, Deutsche Bahn and HOLON have launched the KIRA+ project to test SAE Level 4 autonomous on-demand public transport with HOLON urban vehicles in Germany’s Rhine-Main region.

Preparations for the test operation are underway, with the first mapping drives scheduled for 2027 in parts of Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach, in areas served by local project partners HEAG mobilo and Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach (kvgOF).

KIRA+ is one of five test fields within the MILA.mobility project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The project is intended to prepare a defined model region where autonomous mobility services can operate as part of regular local public transport.

According to project partners RMV, DB and HOLON, KIRA+ builds on the predecessor KIRA project, which runs until the end of 2026.

KIRA+ builds on autonomous public transport activities already underway in the Rhine-Main region. In 2024, RMV and Deutsche Bahn launched Level 4 autonomous shuttle operations under the predecessor KIRA project, with operations involving Darmstadt and the Offenbach district. Deutsche Bahn is also involved in a just-announced project addressing standardized approval processes for autonomous shuttles in Germany. HOLON and RMV had already announced their cooperation on autonomous shuttle deployment, with the HOLON urban at the centre of the planned driverless services. The vehicle is also involved in other German autonomous mobility programs: MOIA has started autonomous testing in Hamburg, while HOLON has been developing projects for the urban platform in several locations as part of the company’s autonomous mobility activities.

HOLON urban to operate in KIRA+ autonomous transport tests

KIRA+ will use the accessible HOLON urban, equipped with autonomous driving technology from Mobileye and purpose-built for public transport operations.

During the test operation, each vehicle will offer five passenger seats and one wheelchair space. When the wheelchair space is occupied, three passenger seats will remain available.

Safety personnel will remain on board throughout the SAE Level 4 autonomous operations.

The project will cover both vehicle operation and on-demand booking processes. Ride requests will be managed through a dedicated app from ioki GmbH, which will coordinate requests and combine them for route planning. The IT company was acquired by HOLON’s parent company Benteler in early 2026.

HOLON will provide the vehicles and act as vehicle keeper, with responsibility for vehicle-related approvals and maintenance, supported by DB Regio. DB Regio will handle approvals under passenger transport law and operate the autonomous vehicles. Its responsibilities will also include fleet management, technical supervision, operating-area management and on-board passenger support.

For HOLON, the Rhine-Main deployment will represent another German public-road operation for the urban after projects in Hamburg and Paderborn.

KIRA+ builds on autonomous operations from the KIRA project

The planned KIRA+ operating area builds on the predecessor KIRA project, allowing existing autonomous-operation capabilities, including its control centre, to continue to be used.

Experience generated through KIRA and other previous autonomous driving projects will also be incorporated into booking procedures, operating processes and vehicle equipment.

KIRA+ will examine the operation of autonomous vehicles and on-demand services with a focus on scalability. Technical supervision will also form part of the project work.

HEAG mobilo and Kreisverkehrsgesellschaft Offenbach, already part of the innovation network established through KIRA, will participate as local partners. Test operations are planned in their respective areas in Darmstadt and the Offenbach district.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) will provide scientific support, while the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) is participating as an industry partner.

MILA.mobility to connect autonomous vehicles, dispatch and control centres

KIRA+ is one of five test fields included in MILA.mobility, whose name stands for “Middleware Integration of Control Centre and Dispatch Systems for Autonomous Mobility”.

The BMFTR-funded project is developing and harmonising a middleware architecture connecting the software systems required for autonomous public transport, covering the vehicle, fleet dispatch and control centre.

Within KIRA+, RMV is the project initiator and transport association, while HOLON supplies the vehicles and DB Regio is responsible for their operation. The project is intended to provide further operational and technical information for the deployment of autonomous vehicles in regular public transport.

In brief

• What is KIRA+?
  KIRA+ is a project testing SAE Level 4 autonomous on-demand vehicles for integration into regular public transport in the Rhine-Main region.
• Which autonomous vehicle will be used?
  The project will use the accessible HOLON urban equipped with Mobileye autonomous driving technology.
• Where will KIRA+ operate?
  Testing is planned in parts of Darmstadt and the district of Offenbach, with mapping drives beginning during 2027.
• Will the vehicles operate without staff on board?
  No. Safety personnel will remain on board during the SAE Level 4 test operations.

Prof. Knut Ringat, Chairman of the RMV Management Board, said: “With KIRA+ we build on the experience gathered so far in autonomous driving and test the further developed technology in vehicles that were designed for use in public transport. This brings us a decisive step closer to the model region we are aiming for in the RMV area. The goal is to integrate autonomous services into regular public transport in the near future. Driverless services offer the great opportunity, with the appropriate political support, to continue offering attractive and affordable public transport everywhere and at any time.”

Harmen van Zijderveld, Chairman of the Management Board of DB Regio AG, said: “Autonomous driving offers the chance of a faster, cheaper and digital mobility service. But so that we do not simply end up with even more cars on the roads, we have to integrate autonomous vehicles intelligently into public transport. That is exactly what we are testing with KIRA+, with all the requirements that modern, autonomous public transport has to meet. From usability for customers with reduced mobility through to reliable technical supervision in the control centre under real operating conditions.”

Dr Sven Herzig, Managing Director at HOLON, said: “KIRA+ is an important step for us in Germany. After Hamburg and Paderborn, the HOLON urban will now be running on public roads in a third German region. What matters to us is the direction of travel. Here, two of the major players in German public transport, RMV and DB Regio, are working towards a model region in which autonomous vehicles are to become part of the regular service in large numbers. That order of magnitude is the yardstick against which autonomous mobility has to be measured. It calls for vehicles designed for continuous operation, and that is exactly what the HOLON urban is built for.”