The invention relates to a drive
system for a
drivetrain of a work
machine (1), comprising • a plurality of actuating devices (2) for manual
user input, wherein each actuating device (2) has a
signal interface, • a braking device (3), a
drive motor (4) and a transmission (5) having a respective
signal interface, • an environment
monitoring system (6) having a
signal interface, • a
vehicle control unit (7) having at least one signal interface, which is connected to the signal interface on the respective actuating device (21, 22, 23) in a signal-transmitting manner and is designed to control
drivetrain functions (9) in accordance with the manual user inputs, and • a
user assistance interface (8), which is connected to the signal interface of the environment
monitoring system (6) in a signal-transmitting manner and is designed to control
drivetrain functions (9) in accordance with the environment
monitoring system (6) and separately from the
vehicle control unit (7). The invention also relates to a method for operating the drive
system, wherein manual user inputs are first evaluated by the
vehicle control unit (7) and then used to control drivetrain functions (9), wherein environment monitoring signals are provided separately from the signals of the vehicle
control unit (7) at the
user assistance interface (8) in order to control the drivetrain functions (9).