Once upon a time, railway carriages were built in the huge halls on the SIG site above the Rhine Falls - today a small, futuristic bus curves over the site. It will soon be integrated into the Schaffhausen Transport Authority (VBSH) network as "Line 12" and in future will transport passengers without a driver at the wheel. The company AMoTech, headed by Dominique Müller, is responsible for the success of this venture. It was founded in April 2017 as a spin-off of the internationally active company Trapeze, which has its European headquarters in Neuhausen am Rheinfall and develops guidance systems for transport companies in Germany and abroad. It was Peter Schneck, CEO of Trapeze, who had the vision for the self-propelled bus in Schaffhausen. Above the Rhine Falls, one is convinced that this is the future of mobility. We don't know when self-propelled buses will become reality, but they will," says Müller.
Freedom and dynamicity
Together with his team, Müller is working to ensure that self-driving vehicles will no longer be the exception on the roads in a few decades' time. That's why the company Trapeze bought a self-propelled bus from the French manufacturer Navya. "As a spin-off of Trapeze, we as a small, dedicated team can work quickly and efficiently and enjoy the freedom of a start-up," says Müller. They focus on two areas. On the one hand, they help transport companies to implement their own projects in the field of autonomous mobility. In addition to the VBSH, they have already won a second customer in Germany with whom they also want to bring self-propelled buses onto the road.
On the other hand, the focus is on integrating the self-propelled bus into the existing control system of public transport companies. The team's experience with the VBSH project will be used later on to support transport companies worldwide in their move into the autonomous future. "We are now working on the mobility of the future - and supporting transport companies in their move towards autonomous driving," explains Müller. The project "Line 12" is to become the nucleus of a mobility laboratory, which is to attract further partners to the Rhine Falls, active in the field of intelligent mobility.
Why Schaffhausen?
Müller is convinced that Schaffhausen is an ideal location for this. "Short uncomplicated bureaucratic processes as well as support for our pioneering project is perceptible in everyday life." he says. In addition, the profitable and productive cooperation with the Schaffhausen Economic Development Agency is also important. On the one hand, it has opened up numerous doors for us and on the other, it has cleared the way for us to stumble upon the implementation of our project before we have even seen it." Müller praises us.
published by Economic Promotion Canton Schaffhausen
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