Karsan launches world’s first autonomous airport bus service in Rotterdam

Karsan has delivered two driverless buses Autonomous e-Atak to DAM Shuttles, set to be operated at Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands. The vehicles will be carrying passengers between Rotterdam The Hague Airport terminal and Meijersplein Metro Station. The same Turkish manufacturer has just announced it’ll begin autonomous operations in Paris starting September. The Autonomous e-Atak is known as being the world’s first factory-built SAE Level-4 autonomous bus.

Karsan autonomous bus story: from 2022 on

In 2022 the Turkish Karsan provided in Norway the first normal size autonomous bus in operation in Europe. The Karsan Autonomous e-Atak is made driverless by Adastec’s flowride.ai Level-4 automated driving software platform and has been used since then on a city line, operated by Vy Buss, to transport passengers in the city of Stavanger. According to the OEM, the bus performed well on this route and in December 2023 was deployed on a much more challenging route with lane changes in heavy traffic and driving at higher speeds and a tunnel to pass through. Another project is live in Tampere, Finland. And Gothenburg will come from August 2025: the Karsan Autonomous e-Atak will operate on a line connecting Gothenburg Central Station to Liseberg train station.

The launch ceremony of the new project in Rotterdam was held today, 11th July, with the participation of Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, Robert Tieman; Karsan CEO Okan Baş; ADASTEC CEO Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker; key Dutch authorities; numerous media representatives; and project partners including DAM Shuttles, RET (Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram), RTHA (Rotterdam The Hague Airport), MRDH (Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague), Applied Autonomy, and ADASTEC.

The world’s first autonomous airport bus project

Karsan points out that its Autonomous e-Atak “successfully passed operational and functional safety tests, earning full approval from RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer), one of Europe’s leading authorities. As a result, it has officially become Europe’s first RDW-approved full-size SAE Level-4 autonomous bus“.

The Karsan’s Autonomous e-Atak is powered with Adastec’s autonomous driving technology. is equipped with numerous LiDAR sensors positioned at various points around the vehicle. Additionally, it features advanced radar technology at the front, high-resolution image processing through RGB cameras, and thermal cameras for enhanced environmental safety. All these innovative technologies come together to enable Level-4 autonomous driving, allowing the Autonomous e-Atak to operate on a planned route fully autonomous. The vehicle can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h in autonomous mode. The manufacturer stresses the bus performs all the functions of a bus driver autonomously, including approaching stops along its route, managing passenger boarding and alighting, and handling navigation through intersections, crossings, and traffic lights – all without a driver on board. 

Karsan CEO Okan Baş said: “We continue to achieve firsts with the Autonomous e-Atak. This project clearly shows that autonomous mobility is no longer just a vision of the future, but a concrete transportation solution of today.” 

He added: “With this delivery, we have realized the world’s first autonomous airport bus project. This initiative is not only Karsan’s first autonomous bus deployment in the Netherlands but also marks a major milestone in global airport passenger transportation. Operating actively in such a strategic location demonstrates that autonomous mobility is no longer a future projection but a real solution of today. I would like to thank our project partners DAM Shuttles and RET, the Municipality of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Airport for enabling the realisation of this project, the technology collaboration platform MRDH, and our technology partners ADASTEC and Applied Autonomy for their efforts and contributions in making this achievement possible. We are determined to continue shaping the future of mobility by expanding our operations across Europe.” 

ADASTEC CEO Dr. Ali Ufuk Peker stated: “Becoming the first to secure RDW approval in the Netherlands for a full-size SAE Level-4 automated bus is a remarkable achievement, and even more so as this marks Europe’s first deployment of a full-size automated bus carrying passengers in an airport landside environment. Over the years, together with Karsan, we have delivered groundbreaking projects in multiple countries, demonstrating how automated public transportation can move from vision to everyday service. This milestone highlights what can be accomplished when strong collaboration and advanced technology come together to transform mobility.” 

Remco Derksen, Co-Founder and Director of DAM Shuttles said: “We are very happy and proud that we have reached this milestone. The journey to get to this moment sometimes felt like a cat with nine lives. We strongly believe that this development will improve public transport and we have a strong business case for it”.