Image: KarsanAs part of the project, RATP and Karsan tested autonomous driving and validated the system on the roughly 8.5-kilometre route of bus line 393 (Sucy – Bonneuil RER / Thiais – Carrefour de la Résistance), one of the French capital’s most demanding corridors.Over six months, an autonomous Karsan e-ATAK covered around 3,000 kilometres in mixed traffic, interacting with pedestrians and other vehicles while operating for an average of five hours per day. A safety driver remained on board at all times, and the trial did not include regular passenger service.The electric midibus was equipped with technology from project partner Adastec, which outfitted the vehicle for fully automated operation with sensors (lidar, radar, and infrared), hardware, and software. In the same configuration, Karsan and Adastec have been running a similar project in the Norwegian city of Stavanger since 2022, and since 2025, they have also been collaborating with Üstra in Burgdorf near Hanover in Germany.“Our vehicle demonstrated its operational capabilities by successfully testing advanced driving scenarios such as navigation in mixed traffic conditions, precise parking at stops, and real-time interaction with traffic lights and intersections. During the six-month testing period, the vehicle achieved a 98% success rate in autonomous driving without driver intervention. This rate serves as concrete proof of the high reliability and operational maturity of our autonomous solution,” said Karsan CEO Okan Baş.In other words, the driver had to take control for the remaining 2% of the route.Adastec CEO Dr Ali Peker added: “Together with RATP and Karsan, we have demonstrated that Level-4 automated driving is a proven and scalable technology for public transport. Successfully operating in one of the mostcomplex metropolitan environments in the world, including high-capacity BRT lines, highlights our capability to deploy and scale automated mobility across diverse real-world conditions.”As part of the project, the vehicle also successfully underwent technical validation processes by the certification body UTAC and received official approval from DGEC, the authority responsible for testing and approving autonomous mobility solutions under the French Ministry of Transport. As a result, the electric midibus is now permitted to operate autonomously in public transport across France.Next, Karsan and Adastec plan to take the next step in Stavanger, Norway: a fully autonomous operational model without a safety driver.karsan.com
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