UK first as driverless buses take to city's streets with 300 passengers

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THE UK's first driverless buses have been trialled on the roads of Cambridge with more than 300 passengers experiencing them first-hand.

Cambridge: New driverless buses undergo trials in June

The passengers travelled aboard the autonomous shuttles during June as part of a trial in Cambridge. While bosses behind the project say it was a huge success, others continue to worry about safety and their cost.

The trial saw the shuttles run 24/7 through University of Cambridge’s West of Cambridge site. In a survey, some 97 per cent of passengers said they would travel in the vehicles again without hesitation.

But nevertheless, some have raised concerns.


One Facebook user wrote: "Waste of money. I won't use it for sure."

Another posted: "We will soon have no jobs."

A third said: "Wouldn’t want to be hit by that. Why’s everyone being put out of jobs for robots."

During the trial, two onboard safety operators were on each shuttle and were able to regain manual control of the vehicle at any time.

Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), Smart Cambridge, and engineering firm Aurrigo worked together to conduct the project.

Cllr Neil Gough, chair of the GCP executive board, said: "We’re looking for innovative, future-proof transport solutions and this technology could prove to be a vital component in the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s high-quality public transport routes and the wider transport network in the future.

"This would help to transform the way thousands of people travel in and around Greater Cambridge every day to help cut congestion, improve air quality and give people a real alternative to travelling by car."

The findings of these trials will support research into potential driverless shuttle services, to link the city’s other research campuses with rail stations and park and ride sites.

David Keene, chief executive of Aurrigo, said: “Cambridge has been the ideal location to move our autonomous technology forward and we have gained valuable experience of testing our driverless shuttles in a real-world setting, mixing with live traffic.

"This was the first time a trial of this nature was completed and was only possible due to the foresight and collaboration of partners Greater Cambridge Partnership and Smart Cambridge.

“Together, we have learned so much that we can use to inform future developments in autonomous vehicles and the way the public interact with them.”

 

 

 

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