Knowledge

Benefits of connected autonomous mobility

• Explainer
• 2026
• Topics: Accessibility, Territory

A self-driving vehicle opens up travel for people who today depend on someone else to get around. Here we bring together what it can offer, with the source of each figure linked in the text. Anything that is an estimate is marked as an estimate. Rural areas have their own section at the end.

Independence

Deciding when to leave and where to go, without waiting for someone to drive or accompany you. For a person with a visual impairment, with reduced mobility or who no longer drives because of age, a service that works from booking to destination changes everyday life.

Social life

Keeping up with family, friends and the activities of the neighbourhood or village depends on being able to get to them. A reliable, accessible service helps to preserve that network.

Work and study

Transport that can be used without help widens the jobs, training and services within each person's reach. This is an expectation that each pilot has to check on the ground.

An accessible vehicle improves the journey for everyone

A ramp, a clear stop announcement or a help system that works serve a blind person, someone with a pushchair, someone travelling with suitcases and anyone who needs help during the journey. With age, almost all of us will end up needing some of these aids.

Fewer cars and lower emissions: estimates

The International Transport Forum (OECD) simulated a shared fleet of autonomous vehicles in Lisbon in 2015, a city of about 565,000 inhabitants. Its conclusion: "TaxiBots combined with high-capacity public transport could remove 9 out of every 10 cars in a mid-sized European city". This is the estimate of a simulation model. The same report adds that such a system would mean "6% more car-kilometres travelled than today", and that if only half of car trips are made in shared vehicles, total traffic "will increase between 30% and 90%". The benefits depend on how the service is organised.

On emissions, the same report includes a US model of a shared autonomous fleet in a city of a similar size to Austin (Fagnant and Kockelman). It estimates 5.6% lower greenhouse gas emissions, although the distance driven increases by 11%. The report also notes that the environmental impact depends on the vehicle technology.

The figures: more older people and more need for accessible mobility

In Spain, 4.38 million people reported some disability in 2020 (INE EDAD survey, people living in households). In the European Union, almost one in four people aged 16 or over reports some disability: 23.9% in 2024.

The population is ageing. According to the INE projections published on 17 June 2026, people aged 65 and over are today 21.1% of the population and would reach 30.9% in 2076. In the European Union they are 21.5% in 2024 and, according to the Eurostat projections, will be 29.0% in 2050.

Disability and mobility needs from the age of 80

The EDAD 2020 survey measures how many people of each age report some disability. Between 65 and 69 it is 14 in every 100. Between 80 and 84 it is 42 in every 100, between 85 and 89 almost 58 in every 100, and from 90 on, 74 in every 100. People aged 80 and over will be a much larger group: INE projects an increase from 3.12 million in 2026 to 5.87 million in 2050 in Spain.

Data from the INE press release on the EDAD 2020 survey, covering only the population living in households. People living in care institutions are published separately: 357,894 with a disability in 2023.

How the population pyramid is changing in Spain

People aged 80 and over will be 6.3% of the population in 2026, 10.7% in 2050 and 12.2% in 2076. Those aged 90 and over rise from 693,833 to 1,435,635 between 2026 and 2050.

Data from table 36643 of the INE 2026-2076 population projections, published on 17 June 2026. The projections simulate what would happen if current demographic trends continue.

How the population of the European Union is changing

In the EU, people aged 80 and over are 6.1% of the population in 2024. Eurostat projects 10.9% in 2050 and 15.3% in 2100.

Data from the Eurostat EUROPOP2023 population projections (baseline scenario, EU-27, updated on 12 May 2026).

What this means for mobility: every year there will be more people who need a transport service they can use without help. This is a reasonable consequence of the figures. The demographic figures help to understand mobility needs; this analysis is limited to those data and to the potential benefits of the service.

Autonomous mobility in rural areas

This section deals only with rural areas, where the population is smaller and public transport is scarce. A driverless on-demand service could keep people connected to the health centre, shops and their neighbours.

The consultancy Roland Berger set this out in its report Reconnecting the rural (2018). In its press release of 7 March 2018 it writes: "A system of driverless buses on fixed routes in combination with other self-driving vehicles providing flexible "last-mile" services can help people, especially the elderly, remain active members of their community".

There are already trials and services in rural settings in several countries:

• Japan. In Eiheiji (Fukui), the public institute AIST classified the area as depopulated and tested the service for older residents, people going to work or study, and tourists, on a path of about 6 km. Since 21 May 2023 it has operated under a Level 4 permit, the first in Japan: a remote operator supervises three vehicles.
• Australia. Between 2019 and 2020, in two phases, a 12-seat electric shuttle ran in Armidale, in New South Wales. In the second phase, older people used it to get around the town centre.
• Norway. In 2020, as part of the European FABULOS project, a door-to-door on-demand service in the rural municipality of Gjesdal, integrated into public transport, helped residents run errands and see people. It carried an operator on board.
• Sweden. In Rödå-Tavelsjö, a living lab coordinated by the VTI institute (2023-2026, funded by Vinnova) is working with about 2,015 residents to identify their transport needs and propose autonomous services.
• Basque Country. LandaGO is a project to test an autonomous vehicle in small, rural municipalities.

These experiences make it possible to study similar services in Spain. The data on ageing and territory help to identify where they could be useful. AEVAC's proposal for rural areas is in the pipeline, pending execution.

Tell us what you need Back to Knowledge