Türkiye, one of Europe’s leading bus manufacturing hubs, is gaining momentum in autonomous public transportation as domestic manufacturers expand their electric and driverless vehicle projects in overseas markets, according to Levent Köprülü, an automotive sector expert at the daily Milliyet.
Alongside global bus makers operating in the country, Turkish brands have strengthened their presence in Europe and the U.S. with locally developed models and advanced mobility technologies.
Karsan has emerged as one of the most prominent players in autonomous transit. The company has operated its Level-4 autonomous public transport bus, the Autonomous e-ATAK, in real traffic conditions since 2021. It later expanded its driverless lineup with the Autonomous e-JEST.
The company has now launched the autonomous version of its e-JEST minibus in the U.S.
In cooperation with technology partner ADASTEC, North American distributor Damera and mobility services partner Beep, Karsan began carrying passengers in Atlanta as of June 5 under the city’s first autonomous public transit pilot project, “ATL Spoke.”
The autonomous e-JEST operates between MARTA West End Station and the Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Trail, providing free passenger transportation. The route is expected to improve access to healthcare facilities, restaurants, social venues, and educational institutions. An extension connecting the Atlanta University Center is planned for later this summer.
Another Turkish manufacturer, Otokar, has also entered the European autonomous transit market with its Level-4+ autonomous city bus, the e-Centro.
The vehicle has started passenger operations at Mercamadrid in Madrid as part of the Mobilities for EU Project, an initiative linked to Europe’s sustainable, connected, and safe mobility strategy.
Developed in-house by Otokar, the autonomous e-Centro previously completed extensive tests conducted by TÜV Rheinland in Hungary. The vehicle underwent 148 different scenarios over 30 days and successfully passed more than 600 autonomous driving tests.
With the deployment, Spain became the first European country to use Otokar’s autonomous vehicle in public transportation services.
Anadolu Isuzu is also continuing its work in autonomous electric buses. The company partnered with mobility technology startup Leo Drive, which develops scalable software, hardware, and algorithm solutions for autonomous driving systems.
As part of the collaboration, Anadolu Isuzu transformed its 8-meter fully electric Novociti Volt bus into a Level-3 autonomous vehicle platform and completed road tests of the model.
Another carmaker, Temsa, is also known to be carrying out work in the autonomous mobility field.
