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The ride to self-driving buses: Automation and connectivity in the UK bus industry

10 October 2024 #Features & Interviews #TNB News

In May this year, the widespread roll out of self-driving buses in the UK became a step closer as the Automated Vehicles Bill became law, putting in place a legal framework for their safe introduction.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the passing of the bill into law means self-driving vehicles could be on British roads by 2026, creating more than 38,000 jobs.

Furthermore, the minimum safety levels required by the new law could lead to big reductions in deaths and serious injuries on the roads once these vehicles are fully operational.

Oxa, which builds software for automated vehicles, is partnering with eVersum to bring self-driven shuttle buses to Northern Ireland next year, as part of the Harlander project.

This will take in the Innovation District at the Belfast Harbour Estate, as well as tourist attractions such as the revamped Titanic Belfast exhibition.

The eVersum eShuttle is a low noise, mid-sized complete low floor accessible shuttle bus, and each one in Belfast will have a human safety operator on board and be capable of carrying up to 20 people seated and 40 in total.

Total budget for the project is £11 million, part-funded by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV).

The rollout phase involves a period of closed operation during the first quarter of 2025, before the service opens up for passengers.

Paul Newman, Founder and CTO of Oxa, said: “The immense work put in by the DfT, Law Commissions and CCAV in crafting the Automated Vehicles Bill has helped it pass into law with the strongest cross-party backing.

“We now have autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation which is more comprehensive in scope and clearer in its requirements than in any other country.

“The Act gives the UK new momentum as developers like Oxa will need to comply with the world’s most comprehensive autonomous vehicle laws to deploy technology in vehicles here.

“Meeting the highest AV standards will make British companies global leaders with technology that is the safest and AI systems the most trusted – all key to building business and public trust in autonomy globally.”

Meanwhile, the Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project is launching a new driverless bus service on a more than four mile route in Solihull.

It links Birmingham International railway station, near Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Birmingham Business Park.

The three shuttles, built by New Zealand-based automated vehicle manufacturer Ohmio, are accessible, fully electric and can carry up to 20 passengers at a time.

In addition, they use a suite of cameras and sensors to understand their surroundings, interact with live traffic and move around safely.

During the trial, the shuttles will have a human operator permanently onboard, who will have the ability to take control if required.

SCALE is also looking to test the commercial viability of self-driving operations, gathering more feedback on the passenger experience and operational factors such as insurance and vehicle maintenance.

Each journey will also be tracked in real-time from Transport for West Midlands’ (TfWM) control centre.

The CCAV-funded pilot scheme is due to run until the end of March 2025.

Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning, said: “We’ve already carried out a series of successful pathfinder trials here in Solihull, and shown how it is possible to practically and safely start incorporating self-driving vehicles into key parts of our transport infrastructure.

“SCALE represents the next step in this learning and will help develop our understanding around how future commercial passenger services might operate.”

Alexander Dennis, meanwhile, will provide three Enviro100AEV electric automated buses as part of a four-vehicle fleet delivering a bus service around the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe.

The bus manufacturer has joined a consortium delivering the Connector project, led by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, including bus operator Stagecoach, backed by Innovate UK and part funded and supported by CCAV.

Fusion Processing’s CAVStar Automated Drive System will provide the sensors, control modules and software that will allow the project vehicles to be automated.

The Enviro100AEVs are expected to enter service in 2025 following a period of testing and training for the automated bus professionals who will act as safety drivers to provide on-board supervision.

This project will build on the work Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing and Stagecoach have already carried out on the automated bus service for the CAVForth project in Scotland.

Chris Gall, Group Engineering Director for Alexander Dennis, said: “This a fantastic opportunity to further the development of this technology with our partners as we continue to explore use cases where autonomous buses can improve operational efficiency and add flexibility to transport networks.”

Insurer Aviva and automated vehicle operator Darwin Innovation Group recently added a second self-driving shuttle to a service carrying passengers around Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

In an ongoing project supported by the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency, the University of Salford is monitoring the project and hopes to learn more about automated vehicle operation, as well as ultimately deploy self-driving vehicles in the Manchester area.

Like the original Darwin Autonomous Shuttle, the new shuttle has no driver and no steering wheel, instead using cameras, LiDAR sensors, 3D maps and self-driving software to navigate a route, stop for passengers and detect obstacles.

The use of a second shuttle will enable a greater understanding of how self-driving vehicles interact with each other in a real-world setting.

Darwin is also testing is the ability of these automated vehicles to make journeys on demand, letting passengers call the shuttle to pick them up from a specific stop on the vehicle’s route.

Tom Pitney, Head of Motor at Aviva, said: “This trial will give us access to a wealth of rich data, providing valuable insights into claims, underwriting, risk and product areas.”

Connected automated mobility technology has the potential to revolutionise the way people travel and the current trials should ensure that they will be safe and operate like clockwork by the time they hit the road.

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