German mobility company CleverSolutions has established a new business focused on operating autonomous vehicle fleets on behalf of transport operators and public authorities.
The new company, CleverSolutions Autonomous, will provide fleet operations services for organisations deploying autonomous vehicles, including public transport authorities, bus operators and private mobility providers.
The launch coincides with the completion of a funding round supported by German bus operators Autobus Oberbayern and Geldhauser Linien- und Reiseverkehr.
The new business has been created to address the operational requirements of autonomous transport services, allowing operators to deploy autonomous vehicles without establishing their own fleet management capabilities.
Bruno Ginnuth, founder of CleverSolutions, said:The car comes from Germany. The software is from Silicon Valley. But the largest share of value creation in autonomous mobility happens neither in the factory nor in the lab, it happens in day-to-day operations, in the control center, in the daily responsibility for the fleet. That's the gap we identified, and it's where we want to bring in our more than 15 years of experience in mobility with CleverSolutions Autonomous,
The company builds on experience gained through the development of CleverShuttle, one of Germany’s early demand-responsive transport services. Over recent years, CleverSolutions has worked with public transport operators to manage more than 30 on-demand mobility services across Germany.
CleverSolutions said this operational experience has informed the processes, fleet management systems and control centre functions that will underpin the new autonomous vehicle business.
The investment from Autobus Oberbayern and Geldhauser Linien- und Reiseverkehr reflects growing interest among established public transport operators in the development of autonomous vehicle services.
Nico Schoenecker, Managing Director of Autobus Oberbayern GmbH said:We've been moving people for more than 135 years, and we've always been early adopters of new technology, from the combustion engine to electrification. Autonomous vehicles are the next step. We're investing in CleverSolutions Autonomous because operational expertise isn't something you can buy off the shelf.
CleverSolutions Autonomous will initially target organisations seeking operational support for autonomous vehicle fleets as the technology continues to move towards commercial deployment in public and shared transport.
Martin Geldhauser, Managing Director of the Geldhauser Group said:We think in long time horizons. Autonomous mobility will transform transportation. We want to shape this transformation together with a partner who understands how day-to-day operations really work.
