The initiative appears to be part of a larger move towards autonomous transport of several other modes, including mainline network trains and robotic taxis, or “robotaxis”.

Driverless trams may be launched in testing mode in Moscow from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023.

Liksutov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport, made the announcement at the discussion Robots in the City: The Future of Megacities with Autonomous Transport, held by the Noôdome community in Moscow.

Liksutov outlines that, in terms of legislation, everything is done to ensure that driverless transport appears as quickly as possible…

As far as driverless transport is concerned, Moscow primarily relies on the rail public transport. Moscow together with Yandex work on the driverless tram project, planned to be tested since 2022 – at first, at depots, later at nights, and finally – with passengers. 80 percent of tram lines are already segregated from other road users.