Volkswagen puts ID Buzz robotaxis on Hamburg streets

Volkswagen has started carrying passengers in self-driving ID Buzz vans in Hamburg, through its autonomous mobility subsidiary Moia. The pilot makes it the first major European automaker to launch an autonomous passenger service on its home continent.

The service is currently open to preregistered residents, with up to five vehicles operating at launch and the fleet expected to grow to 10. Each van includes a trained safety monitor who can step in if needed. Rides are free during the pilot and booked through the Moia app.

This is not a private door-to-door robotaxi service. Moia is running it as a shared autonomous shuttle: passengers heading in the same direction may ride together, and pickups and drop-offs happen at designated virtual stops. The initial service area covers about four square miles in Hamburg and is set to expand to roughly 14 square miles, a Moia spokesperson told Business Insider. Moia said several thousand people have already joined the waiting list.

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“Our first passengers are now experiencing autonomous mobility in Hamburg’s urban traffic for the first time.”

Moia said it plans to integrate the service with Hamburg’s hvv switch public transit app, framing autonomous vehicles as an addition to public transport rather than a replacement. The Hamburg rollout is part of ALIKE, a government-backed project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport through mid-2027.

The vehicles use Mobileye technology and operate at SAE Level 4, meaning the system can manage all driving tasks within its defined operating area without human intervention. Moia is targeting European regulatory approval for fully driverless ID Buzz operations in 2027.

At the same time, the company is pushing into the US. Moia expects to launch an autonomous shuttle service in Orlando with Beep later this quarter, and plans to put autonomous ID Buzz vehicles on the Uber platform in Los Angeles before the end of the year. The Beep deal 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 a busier European market as Waymo prepares a launch in London, Uber and Wayve have opened a waitlist there, and Waymo has registered a German entity, signaling future plans for the country. Moia said it does not plan to run a standalone robotaxi network; instead, it wants to sell a ready-to-use autonomous mobility platform to public and private fleet operators.