Volkswagen enters the robotaxi race with a shared shuttle service in Hamburg

Volkswagen’s autonomous mobility subsidiary Moia has begun offering rides in self-driving ID Buzz vans to preregistered residents in Hamburg, marking the first time a major European automaker has launched an autonomous passenger service on its home continent. Up to five vehicles are operating at initial launch, with the fleet expected to expand to 10, and each car carries a trained safety monitor who can intervene when necessary. Rides are free during the pilot and can be booked through the Moia app.

The service functions as a shared autonomous shuttle rather than a private robotaxi. Passengers travelling in the same direction may share a vehicle, and pickups and drop-offs take place at designated virtual stops rather than door-to-door. The pilot covers about four square miles within Hamburg and will gradually expand to around 14 square miles, a Moia spokesperson told Business Insider.

Moia said several thousand people have already joined the waiting list since registration opened. The company plans to eventually integrate the service with Hamburg’s hvv switch public transit app, positioning autonomous vehicles as a complement to existing public transport rather than a replacement. “Our first passengers are now experiencing autonomous mobility in Hamburg’s urban traffic for the first time,” Moia CEO Sascha Meyer said in a statement.

The Hamburg deployment is part of a government-backed project called ALIKE, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport through mid-2027. The vehicles use Mobileye’s autonomous driving technology and operate at SAE Level 4, meaning the system can handle all driving tasks within its defined area without human intervention. Moia is targeting European regulatory approval for fully driverless ID Buzz operations in 2027.

The company is simultaneously expanding in the US. Moia expects to launch an autonomous shuttle service in Orlando with partner Beep later this quarter, and plans to deploy autonomous ID Buzz vehicles on the Uber platform in Los Angeles before the end of the year. The Beep partnership targets a fleet of up to 5,000 autonomous vehicles over the next decade, while the Uber deployment in LA began on-road testing in April with roughly 10 vehicles.

Moia is entering an increasingly crowded European robotaxi landscape where Waymo is preparing to launch in London, Uber and Wayve have opened a waitlist there, and Waymo has registered a German entity signaling future plans for the country. The company said operating a standalone robotaxi service is not part of its broader business model, and instead plans to provide a ready-to-use autonomous mobility platform to public and private fleet operators, a positioning that sets it apart from the private ride-hailing model favoured by most competitors.