Focus on self-driving
The presentations on 25 March 2026 focused on the future of rural public transport, including the opportunities offered by automated driving.
Led by the University of Aveiro in Portugal, the international consortium comprising Irish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, Romanian and Hungarian partners listened to presentations on the following topics and discussed their content:
- presentation of the elements connected to the Integrated Transport Development Operational Programme Plus project, the future of mobility in rural areas, including the opportunities provided by connectivity and autonomous driving,
- presentation of Kaposvár Transport Company’s autonomous bus public transport service, the route and timetable of the service, and the presentation of the impact study underlying it,
- integration and integrability of autonomous driving solutions into rural public transport networks,
- PIX Moving: innovative solutions in the field of autonomous driving, testing of self-driving vehicles for personal mobility in Romania and Eastern Europe.
The afternoon presentations focused more on concrete solutions and case studies, as follows:
- the main activities and research and development results in the field of autonomous driving of Széchenyi István University's Zalaegerszeg campus, operating next to ZalaZONE,
- the key technologies and AI-based solutions employed by AUMOVIO, with a particular focus on the field of vehicle braking systems,
- testing of autonomous vehicles and advanced driving systems at the ZalaZONE test track and associated public roads, possibilities for the approval of developments within the European Union – based on the experience of TÜV Rheinland-KTI Kft.
The day concluded with an informal discussion, during which the questionnaires to be completed in the regions participating in the SMARTAUTO project were also discussed. The latter is intended to assess the dilemmas and results related to automated driving in developed and less developed European regions.
Study trip at the AVL ZalaZONE Proving Ground
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the following day's programme was the presentation of the ZalaZONE project, followed by a visit to it. Following a presentation of the infrastructure and services of the facility—which ranks among the three largest automotive test tracks on the European continent (AVL ZalaZONE)—our international guests inspected for themselves the testing (rural road network, smart city, motorway, hill module, high-speed oval track, etc.) and research and development (laboratories, workshops, etc.) facilities available on the test track site for automotive companies and research institutions. The organisers of the study tour also detailed the services provided by the test track for autonomous vehicles.
The day-and-a-half event provided insight into self-driving technologies available in rural areas, whilst also illustrating the barriers and opportunities for their wider rollout. Special thanks are due to the contributing staff of AVL ZalaZONE Próbapálya Kft. for making the event happen.
The SMARTAUTO project is implemented under the Interreg Europe Programme, co-financed by the European Union and Hungary.