Imagry has formalized a strategic partnership with Carguru to deploy Level 4 autonomous roboshuttles in Latvia, marking the first commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in the Baltic region. The collaboration integrates Imagry’s AI-based perception and motion planning technology into electric passenger vehicles, establishing a foundation for driverless public transit operations on European roadways.
Supported by the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia, the initiative establishes regulatory and operational frameworks for autonomous vehicle deployment while addressing critical mobility challenges including driver shortages, road safety, and carbon emissions reduction.
Highlights
- L4 autonomous capability: HD-mapless technology enables driverless operation on 9.8-kilometer mixed-traffic route between Riga Airport and Freedom Monument
- First Baltic commercial service: Government-backed project creates legal and technical infrastructure for autonomous mobility expansion across the region
- 2027 expansion target: Platform will support on-demand paid rides to any destination via dedicated mobile application
- Safety and sustainability focus: System designed to reduce human-error accidents by up to 90% while lowering CO₂ emissions through EV-based shared mobility
Technical Specifications and Route Details
The initial deployment utilizes electric-powered vehicles with three-passenger capacity operating on public roads with mixed traffic conditions. Imagry’s autonomous driving stack delivers real-time perception, motion planning, and vehicle control without reliance on high-definition mapping infrastructure.
The 9.8-kilometer operational corridor connects Riga International Airport to the Freedom Monument in central Riga, traversing urban and suburban road environments. The HD-mapless architecture enables rapid deployment and scalability across additional routes without extensive pre-mapping requirements.
Key technical capabilities include:
- Hardware-agnostic integration: Compatible with multiple vehicle platforms and sensor configurations
- Location-independent operation: No geofenced restrictions or map dependencies
- Real-time AI processing: On-board computation for perception and decision-making
- Production-ready L4 autonomy: Validated through deployments in the United States, Germany, Japan, and Israel since 2019
Strategic Objectives and Market Impact
The Latvia autonomous shuttle program addresses four primary market challenges identified by government and industry stakeholders:
Road Safety Enhancement: Autonomous systems eliminate driver distraction, fatigue, and judgment errors that contribute to the majority of traffic accidents. The project targets up to 90% reduction in collision incidents through consistent rule-based operation and 360-degree environmental awareness.
Public Transportation Efficiency: Chronic bus driver shortages across Europe have degraded service quality and coverage. Autonomous shuttles provide cost-effective capacity expansion while maintaining scheduled reliability, potentially increasing public transit adoption rates.
Environmental Sustainability: Electric autonomous vehicles reduce both tailpipe emissions and overall congestion by optimizing routes and increasing vehicle utilization rates through shared mobility models.
Economic Development: The project positions Latvia as a European center for autonomous mobility innovation, attracting foreign investment and creating specialized engineering employment opportunities in artificial intelligence and automotive technology sectors.
Implementation Timeline and Future Expansion
The current phase focuses on passenger transport between Riga Airport and the Freedom Monument utilizing pre-programmed routes with fixed stopping locations. Operational parameters will be refined based on real-world performance data collection and regulatory feedback.
By 2027, Carguru plans to expand roboshuttle capabilities to support point-to-point ride requests throughout Riga and surrounding areas. Passengers will access autonomous vehicles through a mobile application enabling destination input, real-time vehicle tracking, and digital payment processing.
The scalable architecture allows for fleet expansion and geographic coverage increases without proportional infrastructure investment, differentiating the platform from geofenced autonomous systems requiring extensive preliminary mapping and validation.
Industry Stakeholder Perspectives
Viktors Valainis, Minister of Economics of the Republic of Latvia, stated: “Latvia is becoming one of the first countries in Europe to implement an autonomous public transport project. This is an important step toward safer, greener, and more technologically advanced mobility. The project not only makes everyday life more convenient for residents but also opens new opportunities for our businesses and research environment, strengthening Latvia’s position on the European innovation map.”
Vladimirs Reskājs, Founder and CEO of Carguru, emphasized the partnership’s significance for regional mobility evolution: “By combining Carguru’s experience in sustainable shared mobility with Imagry’s cutting-edge autonomous driving technology, we are taking a major step toward safer, greener, and more accessible transportation. This project demonstrates Latvia’s readiness to lead Europe into the era of autonomous mobility.”
Eran Ofir, CEO of Imagry, highlighted the company’s expanding European presence: “While our autonomous driving technology has already been successfully vetted and deployed in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Israel, this is the first opportunity to share our expertise in the Baltics.”
Company Backgrounds
Carguru, established in 2017 and based in Riga, operates Latvia’s leading electric car-sharing service. Following a 2024 strategic merger with OX Drive, Carguru became the largest electric vehicle-sharing provider in Latvia, focusing on urban mobility efficiency and zero-emission transportation solutions. Additional information: carguru.lv
Imagry has developed AI-based autonomous driving systems since 2018, specializing in vision-based autonomy that eliminates high-definition map dependencies. The company’s real-time, hardware-agnostic architecture has been deployed on public roads across multiple continents since 2019, providing automakers and transit operators with production-ready Level 3 and Level 4 autonomy solutions. The company maintains headquarters in San Jose, California. Additional information: imagry.co
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