At the Geneva demo site of the ULTIMO project (which is one of three), tpg is preparing to bring five automated vehicles into tpgFlex, its existing on-demand service. Rather than running a standalone pilot, the site is building automation into a service Geneva residents already use. This spotlight article looks at where preparations stand as the site moves towards its first deployment, and the ULTIMO project moves into its final year.
The groundwork is now largely in place. tpg purchased the vehicles in March 2026 and signed a depot rental agreement in June. The first vehicle is being completed and will be shipped to Geneva at the end of September, with deployment expected in October 2026. A gap analysis of the vehicles concludes in mid-August, and authorisation is being sought from three separate bodies: the Federal Office of Transport for the base vehicle, the Federal Roads Office for the automated driving system, and the Cantonal Office of Vehicles for registration and plates.
The five vehicles pair an automated driving system from WeRide with a base vehicle built by Golden Dragon and will operate at automation level 4. At launch they will serve ZIMEYSA, the industrial zone between Meyrin and Satigny, on three loops, each route running in both directions.
Geneva also brings a longer history to the project. tpg’s work on automated mobility began at Belle Idée, where Navya vehicles ran from 2018 to 2022 and covered roughly 17,000 monitored kilometres. The vehicles themselves were never good enough for regular service, but the trial left something that outlasted them. Belle Idée was tpg’s first on demand service, combining a network of virtual stops with a purpose-built booking app. The service was later extended beyond the campus using the same app, this time serving existing tpg bus stops. It now runs as tpgFlex.
Preparation has not been limited to vehicles and infrastructure. Between March and July 2025, tpg ran eighteen days of presentations for its drivers, reaching more than 1,500 people. The sessions covered the classic network and conventional vehicles, with a daily slot on ULTIMO and the Geneva pilot, giving the Innovation team a standing channel to explain how automated vehicles will fit into tpgFlex and how the work connects to the wider changes underway across the company. Bringing operational staff into the conversation early is one of the less visible conditions for deployment, and one of the more decisive ones.
In early October, Geneva hosts the ULTIMO General Assembly, with a demonstration at tpg’s depot giving partners and stakeholders their first close look at the site. Moreover, Geneva shows what it takes to prepare a city for automated public transport before the first vehicle carries a passenger. The next step is deployment, and the validation of an integrated-on demand model under real operating conditions.
The General Assembly later this year will be the first opportunity for partners and stakeholders to see the Geneva site up close, and further openings will follow as the service takes shape. Sign up to the ULTIMO newsletter to keep track.