Imagine a city where autonomous shuttles roll alongside shared bikes, delivery robots navigate sidewalks, and all transport modes “speak” to each other in real time. No more congestion hotspots, no more surprise delays just seamless, smart journeys.

That’s the vision behind CHORUS, a new 42-month European initiative launched on July 1, 2025 in Athens, uniting 36 partners to build the “orchestration layer” of future mobility.

In this article, I’ll walk you through why CHORUS matters, what it will do, and how it could change our daily travel.

Why CHORUS matters

When we talk about autonomous mobility or connected vehicles, it’s easy to get lost in sensors, algorithms, and hardware. But the real challenge is coordination: how all the actors in a city (vehicles, users, infrastructure, logistics,…) work together.

CHORUS addresses that “middle ground” by creating a framework for harmonization across modes, across actors, across cities.

By doing so, it tackles three big issues:

1. Breakdown of silos
   Today, public transport systems, delivery companies, micromobility, private cars often operate in parallel, rarely sharing data or planning together. CHORUS aims to unlock cooperation so that transport becomes a unified ecosystem.
   
2. Scalability and trust
   If each city develops its own siloed system, scaling to pan-European level is impossible. CHORUS paves a path for common standards, interoperable protocols, trust mechanisms, so innovations can move across borders.
   
3. User as centrepiece
   It’s not about technologies for their own sake. CHORUS wants to empower users: giving them real-time suggestions, smooth multimodal routes, and choices that adapt dynamically.

Plus, it helps in meeting big European goals: reducing congestion, cutting emissions, and improving safety.

What CHORUS will do: 7 demonstrators, 1 mission

CHORUS will bring its framework to life via 7 demonstration sites across Europe, chosen because they each pose different mobility challenges.

1. Zürich, Switzerland
   Focus: last-mile deliveries via “Pick-Up / Drop-Off (PUDO)” boxes, automatic reservations, optimal location prediction using mobility, weather and event data.
2. Bern, Switzerland
   Focus: autonomous “middle-mile” goods delivery, integrating with rail logistics, using real traffic and weather data to test performance and safety.
3. Geneva, Switzerland
   Focus: integrating passenger and goods transport, using shared fleets, collecting and analyzing transport data to build a predictive “heatmap” of the network.
4. Paris-Saclay, France
   Focus: combining electric car-sharing and autonomous shuttles (fixed route + on demand) with real-time data infrastructure.
5. Oxfordshire, UK
   Will test wheelchair-accessible autonomous minibuses, optimize last-mile logistics, integrate freight and passenger services.
6. Trikala, Greece
   To pilot autonomous delivery robots in city logistics, plus collective perception systems for safety.
7. Helsinki, Finland
   Focus: off-street delivery robots, safety systems for vulnerable road users.

SAAM’s role & Swiss angle

Joining this project among other Swiss institutions is particularly relevant to us:

• We can bring Swiss innovation and know-how to the table (from satellite institutions, mobility labs, public transport agencies).
• We will see Swiss cities as laboratory: Zürich, Bern, Geneva will be among the demonstrators: Swiss citizens will directly experience new mobility options.
• We can help shape regulation, standardization and trust through our networks in Switzerland, influencing how autonomous mobility evolves in Swiss law and practice.
• Out of the 7 chosen locations, 3 of them are in Switzerland, underlying the key role the country achieved in this field.

Call to action for readers / partners

To wrap up, here’s how we invite participation:

• If you are a city official: watch for pilot deployments in your region. Join workshops and share your challenges.
• If you are a mobility operator or tech provider: see where your solution could plug into the orchestration layer. We’re looking for collaborators.
• If you are a citizen / user: expect in the next years opportunities to try autonomous shuttles, delivery bots, dynamic multimodal journeys. Your feedback will matter.

We will keep updating on milestones, field reports, visual stories on our SAAM channels.

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