Gliwice, Poland — 17 April 2026
As cities around the world mark the first World Public Transport Day on 17 April 2026, PKM Gliwice and Autonomous Systems are using the moment to celebrate the people who make public transport happen: drivers — and to highlight a practical form of autonomy that supports them in daily work.
Watch the video below:
In the video, the smartbus is presented not as a replacement for drivers, but as a driver’s friend: an autonomous system designed to handle repetitive, low-speed movements inside the depot — moving buses between parking, washing, and charging — so drivers can focus on what they do best: serving passengers on the line.
“World Public Transport Day is about the journeys that move our cities — and the drivers who make those journeys happen every day,” said Patryk Kostrzewski, Transport Management Director at PKM Gliwice, involved in the project on behalf of the operator. “If we want to keep service reliable, we have to keep improving working conditions — whether that means adding dedicated shunting roles or adopting solutions like smartbuses that give drivers time back at the end of a shift.”
A driver-support story — in a market under pressure
Across Europe, operators face a worsening bus and coach driver shortage. The IRU estimates 105,000 unfilled driver positions in Europe (around 10%), with the shortfall forecast to more than double by 2028 as retirements accelerate.
“Driver shortage is increasingly a service shortage,” said Jan Gramatyka, Co-CEO of Autonomous Systems. “That’s why we’re building depot-first autonomy that works in real operations, now — not a ‘someday’ promise. Smartbuses don’t take drivers off the road; they take the repetitive depot moves off their shoulders.”
Why the depot, and why now
Autonomous driving for full-size city buses in mixed urban traffic remains constrained by safety requirements and real-world complexity. Depots are different: buses move slowly, without passengers, within a controlled, geofenced layout — an environment where autonomy can be deployed responsibly and deliver measurable value today.
For drivers, the benefit is tangible. Depot work includes repeated staging moves, tight turns, reversing, and lining up for charging or washing — often at the end of a shift when fatigue is highest. Operators estimate that depot manoeuvring can add up to 30–40 minutes per driver per day — time that can be returned to line service, rest, or earlier finishes when those movements are automated. See: Depot Time Calculator
From “demo” to daily routine in Gliwice
Autonomous Systems and PKM Gliwice began their joint Smartbus Pilot at PKM’s depot in Gliwice in late 2025, combining local engineering with day-to-day operational expertise from a municipal operator. PKM Gliwice operates services across the region and manages depot operations at meaningful scale — making it a strong proving ground for solutions intended for real-world adoption.
World Public Transport Day’s theme is global celebration — but for operators in 2026, celebration is inseparable from resilience: keeping service reliable, keeping staff supported, and adopting innovations that can be justified operationally and financially. (worldpublictransportday.com)