Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a document introducing an experimental legal regime in Moscow aimed at launching the country’s first driverless tram service for passenger travel.

The initiative will allow for the introduction of Russia’s first self-driving tram. The document was prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, with the Moscow Metro serving as the initiative’s driving force.

Today marks a historic first for Moscow as we initiate the legal framework for the implementation of autonomous urban transport in Russia. By directive of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, we are set to commence passenger trial runs this September. The tram will operate autonomously, with a driver present to ensure safety during operations. By the end of 2025, we aim to fully launch the passenger service with the autonomous tram.

—Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport Maksim Liksutov

This program, developed by the Ministry of Economic Development at the initiative of the Moscow Metro, represents the first practical application of an experimental legal regime for testing driverless technologies across various forms of urban passenger transport. Safety is our top priority, and therefore the initial phase of autonomous tram operations will include a test driver on board at all times.

—Maksim Kolesnikov, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia

It was previously reported that the first driverless tram carrying passengers will be launched in September 2024. The tram, which is currently running in test mode without passengers on route No. 10, has already traveled about 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) without any accidents or technical faults.