Autonomous bus testing has commenced on Barcelona’s Montjuïc hill as Transport Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) launches a groundbreaking 10-day pilot programme.
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The fully automated vehicle will operate along a 1.8-kilometre route connecting Plaça Dante with the Olympic Stadium, marking a significant step toward future urban mobility solutions.
🚍TMB prova per primer cop un bus autònom que circularà per Montjuïc durant 10 dies.
📍El vehicle circularà des d'avui i fins al 14/11 al tram comprès entre la plaça Dante i l’avinguda de l’Estadi.
⌚️Entre les 9 i les 19 hores i de manera oberta a la ciutadania. pic.twitter.com/9GGoyF5oUZ— TMB (@TMB_Barcelona) November 4, 2025
Autonomous Bus Testing Route and Schedule Details
The experimental service includes six strategic stops along Avinguda de l’Estadi: Plaça Dante, Avinguda Miramar, Plaça Neptú, Avinguda Estadi/Passeig Olímpic, Fundació Joan Miró and the Montjuïc Funicular. Furthermore, the autonomous bus will operate daily from 9:00 to 19:00, offering free passage to all interested citizens during the testing period until November 14th.
TMB President and Deputy Mayor for Mobility Laia Bonet emphasised the trial’s importance for gathering practical knowledge. “This pilot serves our technicians in obtaining hands-on experience to advance toward new mobility models,” she explained. “Consequently, the ultimate goal remains reinforcing safety, efficiency and service quality for citizens.”
The eight-metre Turkish Karsan vehicle can accommodate 52 passengers and features level 4 autonomous driving technology. However, Spanish legislation currently requires a safety driver to be present throughout all operations. TMB’s bus network director Jacobo Kalitovics clarified that “the vehicle develops completely autonomous driving thanks to its radar and sensor technology, but a driver remains present preventatively.”
Technical Specifications and Future Applications
Equipped with an electric motor and lithium batteries providing 300 kilometres of autonomy, the bus can complete the test route approximately 150 times without recharging. Its advanced technology detects surrounding objects, monitors road conditions within predefined routes, follows traffic signals and reacts to unexpected situations while managing blind spots through sophisticated sensors.
TMB’s bus projects department will analyse all data collected during this autonomous bus testing phase to evaluate potential future applications across the city’s transport network. This initiative represents Barcelona’s latest effort to modernise its public transport system, following other infrastructure developments like the long-awaited airport train connection currently nearing completion.
The autonomous bus testing programme demonstrates Barcelona’s commitment to innovation in urban mobility. Meanwhile, as the city continues to balance technological advancement with practical transportation needs, this pilot could pave the way for more permanent autonomous services in suitable areas across Barcelona’s diverse urban landscape.
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