Next year, Daimler and Bosch plan to begin testing their fully automated driving (SAE Level 4/5) on-demand ride-hailing service in San José, California.

According to the companies, San José wants to prepare itself for a future where autonomous cars operate on the streets, so Daimler and Bosch will use automated Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles to offer their service to a selected user community in the San Carlos/Stevens Creek corridor between downtown and west San José.

​“With this pilot we will generate valuable insights to connect fully automated vehicles in the best way with users of future mobility services,” explains Michael Hafner, vice president Drive Technologies and Automated Driving at Daimler AG.

Operated by Daimler Mobility Services, the on-demand ride-hailing service app will showcase how various mobility services can be intelligently connected. According to Daimler and Bosch, the test operation will provide information about how highly and fully automated vehicles can be integrated into a multi-modal transportation network.

The ultimate goal for Daimler and Bosch is to provide a “seamless digital experience” where a selected user community will have the chance to hail a self-driving car from a designated pick-up location, and be driven automatically to their location. The car will be monitored by a safety driver.

Through their collaborative work on highly and fully automated driving (SAE level 4/5) in urban environments, Daimler and Bosch hope to accomplish a number of goals, including improve the flow of traffic in cities, enhance road safety, and provide an important building block for the way traffic will work in the future.

The companies believe that this technology will not only allow people to maximize their time spent in their vehicles, but it will also open up new mobility opportunities for people without a driver’s license.