Autonomous bus of Mercamadrid

Alsa, in collaboration with the Madrid City Council (through its Digital Office) and Mercamadrid, has launched the first autonomous bus to run on a regular and on-demand basis with passengers in Spain. This pioneering service is part of the European project MobilitiesForEU and offers a key internal mobility solution for workers and visitors of the premises.

📋 General Service Characteristics

• Cost: completely free of charge.
• Users: exclusive for Mercamadrid workers and visitors.
• Route: circular route between the Commercial Zone (upper platform) and the parking lot (lower platform), with stops at the Fish and Meat Markets.
• Connectivity: schedules and stops coordinated with Madrid's EMT bus lines connecting to the city center.

Schedules and Operational Modes (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays)

📱 How to Book the Trip (Alsa Mobilities App)

To travel within the on-demand service time slot (09:00 h to 10:30 h), users must follow these steps:

1. Download: install the Alsa Mobilities app from the application stores or by scanning the QR code at the bus stops.
2. Registration: create an account with an email and password and log into the application.
3. Search: tap on the "Search transport" button and select your origin and destination stops. Also choose the day and time you want the bus to pick you up.
4. Passengers: add the number of passengers who will be taking this trip.
5. Confirmation: check that all the details you have entered are correct and confirm the trip. Your booking will appear in the "My bookings" section.

🛠️ Vehicle Technical Specifications

The bus, developed alongside the manufacturer OTOKAR-SOMAUTO, features cutting-edge technology in connected mobility, autonomous driving, and zero emissions (CCAM).

• Propulsion: 100% electric with latest generation NMC batteries. Internal charging within the Mercamadrid facilities.
• Capacity: over 30 passengers.
• Initial Autonomy Level: SAE 4+ (autonomous driving with its own decision logic and a safety driver on board).
• Project Evolution: in the coming months, progress will be made toward remote control and operation of the vehicle (Level 5) from a control center located outside the complex and within the city of Madrid.
• Connectivity: 5G network and continuous interaction with the infrastructure.

Integrated Sensors and Safety Systems

• 10 perimeter cameras.
• 6 3D LiDAR sensors.
• Ultrasonic sensors around its entire perimeter.
• Real-time processing unit and HMI interaction interface.
• High-precision global satellite navigation system with dual antenna (GNSS).
• Inertial navigation system with GPS (INS) and real-time kinematics (RTK).

Operational benefit: thanks to these systems, a full perception of the environment and any moving element is achieved. The bus is capable of autonomously bypassing obstacles on the road (e.g., double-parked vehicles), making stops for passenger boarding/alighting, and operating under any adverse weather conditions without having to modify the route or interrupt the service.

The MobilitiesForEU Project and the Mercamadrid Context

The operation of this service is one of the results of the European project MobilitiesForEU , funded under the Horizon Europe program, whose goal is to analyze technology through real-world demonstrators.

The Madrid Hub: A Smart Urban Space

In the case of the Madrid hub, coordinated by the City Council's Digital Office, several autonomous electric vehicle initiatives for passengers and goods using 5G technology are being developed. These solutions will operate within a Smart Urban Space equipped with:

• Interoperable IoT devices.
• An electrical grid based on renewable energy sources.
• A smart grid that utilizes digital twin and artificial intelligence technologies.
• Efficient charging, fleet electrification, and bidirectional G2V and V2G chargers integrated with an energy data market.
• Implementation of hydrogen refueling stations and 10 green hydrogen fuel cell buses.

Why Mercamadrid?

Mercamadrid is the largest wholesale logistics platform in Spain and one of the benchmark markets globally. It constitutes a national critical infrastructure and one of the largest hubs of activity in the country. Its daily key figures include:

• 9,000 workers.
• 20,000 people accessing the premises.
• 15,000 vehicles in circulation.

Alsa's Triple Innovation

The project led by Alsa within the Madrid hub stands out due to a threefold innovation:

1. Higher Capacity: a bus with a capacity for over 30 seats, surpassing the autonomous vehicles deployed so far, which are very low-capacity shuttle types.
2. Complexity of the Environment: it takes place in Mercamadrid, facing complex traffic and a high-demand service level.
3. On-Demand Transport: inclusion of a new on-demand transport feature that has not been deployed so far in any other autonomous passenger driving service.

Research Backing and Sustainability

The design and operational deployment of the vehicle are accompanied by a market research and customer experience study, developed by Alsa in collaboration with Mercamadrid, the Digital Office, and the consulting firms IZO and ALOMÓN. This project examines a broader design of zero-emission sustainable mobility solutions based on the needs of different user groups (Customer Centric).

This part of the project aligns with the Sustainable Mobility Law recently approved at the state level, and with the Madrid City Council's 360 mobility strategy, positioning the capital as a world reference in sustainable mobility.

Additionally, Alsa provides continuity to the operation of the first autonomous driving shuttle that the company has been operating regularly and uninterruptedly since 2020 on the inner campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, integrated into the regular lines of the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid.