Self-driving bus runs from metro station to Rotterdam airport
The Dutch trial shows how autonomous public transport currently operates under supervision.
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A self-driving electric shuttle bus runs between Meijersplein metro station and Rotterdam The Hague Airport. The project is not a fully driverless bus service: the vehicles drive autonomously, but a specially trained safety driver can still intervene.
The shuttle operates as bus route 533 and connects the metro station with the airport. According to Rotterdam The Hague Airport, there are two electric vehicles, each able to carry twenty passengers including luggage. The route is approximately five kilometres long and complements the existing bus connection.
The RDW authorised the pilot on public roads in 2025. That approval was granted under a scheme for innovative vehicles that are admitted temporarily and subject to conditions. The RDW tested, among other things, the automated driving system, the bus’s behaviour and the safety driver’s ability to intervene.
The route was deliberately chosen for its straightforward layout. The bus travels between a metro station and an airport along a route with relatively few complex traffic situations. Sensors, cameras and radar monitor the surroundings, but the bus can only drive independently within the designated area.
The Rotterdam service is therefore primarily a practical trial. The operators are gaining experience with passengers, other road users and unexpected situations. The aim is not only to investigate whether the technology works technically, but also what role staff, supervision and regulation will have when automated transport is deployed more widely.
Other airports are conducting similar trials. In 2026, Schiphol tested a self-driving bus at Schiphol-Oost together with KLM. At one stage, a safety operator was deployed remotely. That system differs from Rotterdam, where a trained driver is still present in the vehicle during the public service.
The key open question is therefore not only whether a bus can drive independently, but when it is safe and socially acceptable to organise human supervision remotely. For transport operators, automation could help address staff shortages. For workers and passengers, the same development concerns employment, liability and trust. The Rotterdam bus thus demonstrates not only the technology, but also its limits.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The bus runs on a fixed route between Meijersplein and Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
- The vehicles are electric and drive autonomously.
- A safety driver remains present during the pilot.
- The RDW has authorised the service subject to conditions.
Left
Arguments Automation must not become a quiet cut to public transport. Its social benefit lies in better connectivity, accessibility and cleaner transport, not merely in employing fewer people.
Values Public services, good employment conditions and broad accessibility.
Consequences Phasing out drivers too quickly could cost jobs and social safety; investment in training could make the transition fairer.
Centre
Arguments Pilots are useful as long as safety, liability and supervision are clear in advance. The government should allow innovation, but assess step by step what works in real traffic situations.
Values Caution, evidence-based policy and reliable public infrastructure.
Consequences A phased introduction can improve the technology without immediately exposing passengers to unclear risks.
Right
Arguments If automated vehicles can operate safely and more cheaply, regulations should allow for rapid deployment. Staff shortages and high transport costs call for technology that complements existing services.
Values Innovation, efficiency and room for entrepreneurship.
Consequences Faster authorisation can limit costs and staff shortages, but requires clear liability rules when systems fail.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The technical characteristics, route and safety conditions were checked with the RDW and the operators involved. The text makes clear that the service is a pilot and that the safety driver is still present.
- confirmed Bus route 533 connects Meijersplein with Rotterdam The Hague Airport. — This is stated in Rotterdam The Hague Airport’s announcement. source
- confirmed The vehicles can carry twenty passengers including luggage. — Mentioned in the airport’s description. source
- confirmed A safety driver can intervene. — The RDW explicitly describes this condition. source
- confirmed In 2026, Schiphol tested a bus with remote supervision. — Schiphol describes the pilot at Schiphol-Oost. source
Editor's note
The service started in 2025; the available sources show no new nationwide expansion in October 2026. The article has therefore been written as a current practical description, rather than as an announcement of a new nationwide rollout.Sources
- Eerste zelfrijdende bus verbindt metro met Rotterdam The Hague Airport — Rotterdam The Hague Airport
- RDW verleent goedkeuring aan eerste zelfrijdende bus op de openbare weg in Nederland — RDW
- MARTHA, de zelfrijdende bus in Rotterdam — De Ingenieur
- Towards autonomous transport at Schiphol — Schiphol
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „zelfrijdend vervoer”
- NOS — „zelfrijdend vervoer”
- Het Parool — „zelfrijdend vervoer”