The UK just had a meeting with its first autonomous shuttles on May 27th. The driverless buses have taken to the public roads in Cambridge and are part of a series of trials that will see if they can provide a viable alternative for use in and around the city.
It's not the first time driverless buses are being tested in real-life urban settings in Europe. Under an EU-founded program, five countries (Norway, Finland, Estonia, Greece, and the Netherlands) have been selected last year to receive autonomous fleets.
Now, the trial that has just been launched in the UK is part of a project led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), Smart Cambridge, and engineering firm Aurrigo. Together, these businesses are looking into how autonomous transport can be implemented into the public system.
Designed by Coventry-based engineering company Aurrigo, the new shuttles are fully electric and are capable of reaching a range of 100 miles (161 km), which is not bad at all for moving around the city. According to GCP, each bus would be capable of running all day on a single charge. Of course, they won't move too fast, topping a speed of 20 mph (30 kph), which is actually the maximum speed limit allowed on the West Cambridge site.
Work on the new buses started last year, but due to the health crisis, it was possible to get them out on the streets much later than initially planned. Mapping the route for the trials has already begun. Once completed, passengers will also be able to hop on abroad and test the autonomous vehicles.
On Thursday, the transport minister Rachel Maclean was one of the first passengers to test the Aurrigo shuttle on a driverless ride across the University of Cambridge's West Cambridge campus. While no driver will operate the buses, there will still be a safety operator in case of emergencies that would be able to take control at any moment. The final goal of these trials is to eventually eliminate the need for a safety operator, allowing them to be remotely controlled via CCTV from a control room.
The program will run around and on the University of Cambridge West Cambridge site off Madingley Road until the end of June. The only downside is that these shuttles have room for only 10 passengers, and that's a bit too small for crowded cities. Other than that, it's a great project that would significantly improve the air quality and traffic fluidity of the region.
Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature. Full profile
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