Switzerland’s first public robotaxi service takes to the road

Three electric robotaxis are now carrying passengers in Zurich’s Furttal valley, opening Switzerland’s first publicly available robotaxi service. The Iamo pilot links Boppelsen, Dänikon, Hüttikon and Otelfingen through a network of around 100 designated stops.

Passengers book through the Iamo app, whose name stands for “intelligent automated mobility”. After registering, they select a journey and wait at a designated stop. Each vehicle can carry up to three passengers and currently runs every day from 1pm to 5pm.

The launch gives residents a practical first look at automated transport in ordinary local traffic. The cars operate on public roads and serve real passengers, although they remain under human supervision. A safety driver sits behind the wheel and the front passenger seat remains empty.

Pascal Kern, head of Zurich’s Office for Mobility, says authorities want to introduce the technology gradually. That measured approach reflects Switzerland’s regulatory culture, where safety testing and formal approval precede wider deployment. The Furttal service therefore marks a controlled public trial, with a defined route, limited hours and a small fleet rather than a citywide rollout.

A 10-kilometre Iamo journey costs about CHF 8.50, according to the pilot’s published fare structure. The price combines a CHF 4.70 base fare with a charge of CHF 0.38 per kilometre.

That places the service well below the estimated CHF 44 cost of a conventional Zurich taxi over the same distance. The difference could make short connections to railway stations more accessible, especially for residents in villages where buses are infrequent or evening services are limited. The pilot does not yet promise a full replacement for existing public transport. Its operating window ends at 5pm, and its vehicles serve only selected stops.

Iamo remains outside Switzerland’s standard public transport fare system. Holders of a GA or Half-Fare travelcard cannot use those passes for the robotaxi. Passengers must pay through the app under the pilot’s separate pricing model.

The service’s low operating price offers Swiss transport planners a useful test case. They can observe whether residents will book shared autonomous rides, how often vehicles connect with trains, and whether the model works financially beyond a tightly defined trial. Those results will matter more than the headline fare when authorities assess expansion.

Furttal was chosen because autonomous transport could help where population density is lower, while its suburban railway line provides a direct link to Switzerland’s established public transport network. The four participating municipalities create a compact test area with both village roads and connections to rail services.

The project is designed to examine the “first and last mile” problem. A robotaxi could collect passengers at a local stop and take them to a railway station, reducing the need for a private car for the entire journey. It could also provide a flexible connection between scattered settlements that do not justify frequent conventional bus routes.

Swiss Transit Lab runs the project with the cantons of Zurich and Aargau and Swiss Federal Railways. Their partnership gives the pilot a wider transport focus than a standalone technology demonstration. Vehicle movements, bookings and links with existing services can be assessed within a regional network.

The limitations are clear. Iamo covers only four municipalities, operates for four hours a day and uses about 100 fixed stops. It is therefore testing a particular mobility pattern rather than offering door-to-door autonomy. The findings could still inform future services in rural and suburban parts of Switzerland, where transport demand is spread across smaller communities.