In the lakeside town of Pörtschach am Wörthersee, a small, driverless electric shuttle has been part of the daily commute for six years. Since May 2018, this vehicle has run a scheduled route, and since May 2019, it has done so on a federal road, sharing space with regular traffic [suraaa.at].
This is the work of SURAAA, the Smart Urban Region Austria Alps Adriatic. It is an innovation platform operated by pdcp GmbH, a company wholly owned by Walter Reinhard Prutej [FirmenABC, retrieved 2026]. Its business model is public grants, primarily from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the European Union [ffg.at, retrieved 2026].
The bet on real-world persistence
SURAAA’s wedge is the provincial town center and the scenic route. The shuttle in Pörtschach, and a second deployment in the city of Klagenfurt, use commercially available Navya vehicles [investinaustria.at]. SURAAA’s value is in everything required to make it a permanent, accepted piece of municipal infrastructure, including navigating local regulations, securing public funding, and managing daily operations.
A grant-funded expansion play
The project started in the Austrian state of Carinthia in 2017 [suraaa.at]. Its first international move was into neighboring Croatia, launching a test operation there in late 2025 [ots.at, October 2025]. The latest step, announced in May 2026, is an expansion into Germany, opening a third international test track under the GINEVRA project umbrella [suraaa.at, May 2026].
| Funding Source | Type | Lead | Amount | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) / EU | Grant | Not Disclosed | Undisclosed | Unknown [ffg.at, retrieved 2026] |
Where the model faces friction
- Technical dependency. SURAAA relies on third-party shuttle hardware, primarily from Navya [navya.tech, retrieved 2026].
- The renewal motion. Success is not just a first deployment, but a municipality choosing to renew and expand the service after the initial grant or pilot period ends.
- Competition for attention. SURAAA must continually demonstrate that its focused, town-centric model is more reliable than a flashier offering from a global brand.
The project is also involved in forward-looking technical work, like the auto.GigaApp lighthouse project exploring 5G-based remote control of autonomous vehicles [mein-klagenfurt.at, April 2025].
The next twelve months
The immediate roadmap is about converting test tracks into permanent routes. The test season in Klagenfurt is scheduled to start in autumn 2026 [suraaa.at]. The German expansion will need to move from announcement to active shuttles on the ground. Recruitment is another signal, with the project hiring for roles like "Projektmitarbeiter:in" [suraaa.at]. The planned start of a public test season in June 2026 was delayed due to "necessary technical adjustments" [suraaa.at].
Sources
- [suraaa.at] SURAAA project website | https://www.suraaa.at/
- [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF] SURAAA project description | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Om9BmAblY
- [ots.at, October 2025] SURAAA startet Testbetrieb für autonomes Fahren in Kroatien | https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20251023_OTS0162/suraaa-startet-testbetrieb-fuer-autonomes-fahren-in-kroatien-oesterreichisches-know-how-international-gefragt
- [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026] Hans Amin Schlereth profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-schlereth
- [FirmenABC, retrieved 2026] pdcp GmbH corporate registry entry | https://www.firmenabc.at/pdcp-gmbh-suraaa_LQLB
- [ffg.at, retrieved 2026] Austrian Research Promotion Agency | https://www.ffg.at/
- [investinaustria.at] SURAAA uses Navya shuttles | https://investinaustria.at/
- [navya.tech, retrieved 2026] Navya vehicle manufacturer | https://navya.tech/
- [mein-klagenfurt.at, April 2025] auto.GigaApp project mention | https://www.mein-klagenfurt.at/