Planzer & LOXO launch automated city logistics in Bern

The Swiss logistics company Planzer Paket and the tech startup LOXO are advancing automated city logistics in Bern. As part of the project „Planzer – Dynamic Micro-Hub with LOXO,“ the highly automated delivery vehicle „Mathilde“ has been operating without a driver behind the wheel in regular public road traffic since May 2026. According to the project partners, this marks a premiere in Europe.

The fully electric vehicle connects the Planzer rail center in Bern with several transfer points in the city center. There, pre-loaded swap bodies are transferred to electric small vehicles and distributed on the last mile. The goal of the project is to make urban delivery traffic more efficient, reduce emissions, and further automate city logistics.

The basis for operation without a driver behind the wheel is a permit from the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA). Currently, a safety person remains in the passenger seat while monitoring also occurs from a distance. The project is based on automation level 4 and is intended to be gradually further developed. In the long term, the project partners aim for a fully driverless operation.

Since autumn 2024, „Mathilde“ has been deployed as part of a two-year pilot phase on a defined route network in Bern. The project serves as a testbed for future urban logistics solutions in Switzerland and could later be expanded to other cities.

www.planzer.ch / www.loxo.ch