Sebastian Hotz, known as "El Hotzo", is apparently not a fan of the upcoming MINGA project. He made this quite clear to his Twitter followers.
Munich – Autonomously driving buses that transport Munich residents safely through the Isar metropolis. The city does not want to rule out the possibility that this could be what the future of local transport could look like. The federal government is providing 2025 million euros for a corresponding research project from 13 onwards.
Munich to get autonomous buses: "El Hotzo" is not convinced
MVG CEO Ingo Wortmann is looking forward to the upcoming test phase as part of the MINGA project: "We are proud to be able to advance the automation of public transport as a partner in the project and to set standards for the industry. In this way, we are making public transport more attractive and creating the basis for further automation and flexible new services."
Sebastian Hotz, a satirist performing under the pseudonym "El Hotzo", is not yet entirely convinced. "Tram, just build a sh*** tram," he writes on Twitter to an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung that deals with the topic. "Every 30 seconds, some start-up is founded that babbles some bullshit about 'autonomous pods' that are controlled with some apps," Hotz rumbles in reference to the technology offensive.
"Sentences in which the expression 'Minga' appears trigger a category of shame of others all their own."
The MINGA plan envisages that smaller car buses will be deployed to order and complement the existing public transport service in a meaningful way. By 2035, MVG's bus fleet is to be operated completely electrically if possible; this aspect will also be taken into account in the project phase.
With his blanket criticism, Hotz has triggered a lively debate on Twitter. Some people in Munich say they are happy if any means of transport in the state capital works according to plan. A user who heads for a completely different dimension of the debate also gets encouragement: "Sentences in which the term 'Minga' appears trigger a very special category of foreign shame."
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