In recent years, autonomous mobility technologies have received more attention in risk and science communication research due to their increasing public visibility. However, there has been a lack of references to autonomous public transport in media research, although autonomous or automated buses are being tested on the roads in numerous European municipalities - including in Ilmenau with the CAMIL minibus until summer 2025. The results revealed three overarching frames: (1) neutral stories about transport and the economy, (2) safety and governance concerns, and (3) benefits of science and technology. Public transportation tended to be portrayed positively, while individual autonomous mobility was more often reported in the context of risk/safety concerns. References to scientific research were rare. This has implications for science communication and journalism, which are discussed in the article. The study resulted from a cooperation with the Thuringian Innovation Center for Mobility and the KREATÖR project; with funding from the Free State of Thuringia, Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Rural Areas, managed by the Thüringer Aufbaubank.

Link to the article: https: //www.nomos-elibrary.de/de/document/view/pdf/uuid/016b7430-6c64-3ae5-889e-2d934fcd7aee?page=1

Contact: andreas.schwarz@tu-ilmenau.de