Luxembourg aims to be the European pioneer of autonomous driving. For that purpose, foreign Minister Xavier Bettel and Minister of Economy Lex Delles visited California to look at the work and vehicles by Pony.ai. Consequently, they signed a memorandum of understanding with the company.
As of last weekend, autonomous cars are permitted on Luxembourg’s public roads. However, they are not entirely driverless – trained personnel accompany the vehicles, which are marked “scientific trial”. The Ministry of Mobility clarified that these trial runs are scheduled to begin at the end of May.
Three vehicles are expected to drive in the municipality of Lenningen for a year, in cooperation with Voyages Emile Weber.
The Minister for Mobility and Public Transport Yuriko Backes officially handed the authorisation to Pony.ai Europ SARL on 27 March 2025.
“The handing over of this authorisation is a great milestone for the future of mobility”, the minister announced.
“Autonomous driving is an important innovation which will change our daily lives. The government is proud to be able to support businesses such as Pony.ai in their search of new technologies. They want to support further initiatives which render transport safer and more efficient”, the minister said during the ceremony.
The Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) has expressed concern over the testing of autonomous vehicles. The union warns that driverless technology could result in a significant reduction in jobs within the public transport sector. Furthermore, LCGB emphasises that the transition to such technology requires targeted training for affected workers.
The confederation is appealing to the government and the businesses to “immediately focus on inclusive social dialogue, to anticipate the consequences of autonomy in the transport sector, and to overcome them”. Measures to secure jobs, as well as training, and guarantees of labour conditions and social advantages need to be addressed prior to the complete implementation of independent driving.
Above all, LCGB underscores the need for a clear regulatory framework governing the use of autonomous vehicles, with particular emphasis on user safety and the assignment of liability in the event of an accident.
Link: Press release by pony.ai
Link: Press release by Ministry of Transport
Link: Press release by LCGB
