Trials of autonomous passenger shuttles in Milton Keynes are set to grow, following new funding support from Innovate UK, an agency under the Department for Transport.
The testing area will be extended to connect the city’s train station with Hotel La Tour. The expanded route will give researchers more opportunities to observe how self-driving shuttles operate in real-world urban environments, including their performance under varying traffic conditions.
The expanded pilot, known as StreetCAV Plus, will allow for continued development and validation of autonomous technology, with a long-term goal of removing human drivers from these vehicles on UK roads. Operations will be closely monitored from a newly established control centre in the city.
Led by the city council and Smart City Consultancy, the project involves a wider partnership network. Earlier this year, the team began mapping the extended routes in preparation for shuttle deployment.
The service is expected to go live in the near future, with the shuttles—fully autonomous and accessible—capable of transporting up to eight passengers. They will serve multiple designated stops around the city centre.
The vehicles are produced by Ohmio, a company based in New Zealand that has now established its UK base in Milton Keynes. Built for safety in crowded areas, the shuttles are limited to a maximum speed of 15mph.
So far, the project has led to the creation of around 15 skilled local jobs, including several positions filled by recent graduates from Cranfield University.
“The driverless shuttles are a fantastic example of the innovation that is taking place right here in our city and my thanks go out to all of our partners involved in this project. We’ve been able to show the vehicles off to potential investors and decision makers who were all inspired with the progress we’re making in trialling smart city tech.”
– Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran
“We are extremely proud of the advances we delivered together as part of StreetCAV and we can’t wait to develop our full ‘Autonomy-as-a-Service’ vision as part of StreetCAV PLUS. For the first time, this will enable removal of drivers from the self-driving shuttles in Milton Keynes, paving the way for self-operating passenger services across the UK.”
– Smart City Consultancy Director, Ian Pulford
