AmiGo, the on-demand autonomous mobility service from Baidu’s Apollo Go and Swiss Post‘s PostBus, has announced that it has received a special permit from Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) for Level 4 operations in eastern Switzerland. The vehicles began conducting open-road testing on June 1, 2026.
The FEDRO special permit confirms that AmiGo’s vehicles and autonomous driving system meet Switzerland’s defined safety and quality requirements, with AmiGo now carrying out autonomous driving trials with a safety operator in an approximately 80km² zone that spans the cantons of St Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden.
“Automated driving evolves through real-world operating experience. That is exactly what AmiGo represents,” said Jürg Röthlisberger, director of FEDRO. “With the largest trial of this kind, Switzerland is reaching a new dimension: multiple vehicles, a real service area and a concrete public transport offering. The FEDRO permit provides the framework – with clear requirements, defined responsibilities and the objective of learning from operations for the next steps.”
The service, which is expected to be the largest planned automated public transportation operation of its kind in Europe, will be deployed using Apollo Go RT6 vehicles, which are fully electric, can carry up to three passengers and are equipped with over 30 sensors enabling comprehensive environmental perception and real-time onboard data processing. The steering wheel is designed to be removed once the service transitions to fully autonomous operations.
“Receiving FEDRO ‘s special permit is an important milestone for AmiGo and a strong validation of our technology,” said Nan Yang, vice president of Baidu and general manager of the intelligent driving group (IDG) overseas business unit. “Under Switzerland’s rigorous safety framework, AmiGo represents an important step toward integrating autonomous mobility into the country’s public transport system. We look forward to working closely with PostBus to deliver a safe, reliable and sustainable service for communities in Eastern Switzerland.”
“With AmiGo, we are making automated mobility in public transport tangible,” commented Stefan Regli, head of the mobility services division and PostBus and member of the executive board of Swiss Post. “The special permit from FEDRO shows that we can implement operations step by step and under clearly defined safety requirements. Our focus is on building a safe and reliable service that meaningfully complements existing public transport.”
The next phase will involve a closed-group user trial, followed by initial rides without safety operators once all safety evidence is fully provided. The longer-term goal is to launch regular operations from 2027.
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