UK firm Aurrigo has started trials of autonomous shuttles in the university city of Cambridge on roads shared with other traffic.

The Coventry-based company, which has been instrumental in the development of first and last kilometre transport, has become the first firm in the UK to undertake testing of a custom-made autonomous vehicle capable of carrying passengers on a main road surrounded by other traffic, including cars, lorries, vans, bikes and pedestrians.

Able to seat ten people outside of social distancing restrictions, the three shuttles will take passengers from the Madingley Road park-and-ride site to and around the University of Cambridge’s West Campus.

The trial is part of an Innovate UK and Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)-backed project, led by Aurrigo with Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Smart Cambridge working together to explore how autonomous technology could be used on the public transport network.

It is anticipated that passengers recruited for the project will be able to use an Aurrigo app that will allow them to be picked-up at a number of locations across the 3.2km route.

“This is another major milestone in the journey towards making autonomous vehicles a reality on our roads,” said David Keene, chief executive officer of Aurrigo. “We’ve completed successful trials in city centres, in retirement complexes and at major golf tournaments, but this is the first time these vehicles will be sharing the route with everyday traffic.”

The shuttles, which have been designed and manufactured at Aurrigo’s engineering centre in Coventry, will operate the 20-minute journey around the west Cambridge route. They will run autonomously for the majority of the route using in-house developed Auto-Stack driving software and lidar and camera technology to identify potential hazards as they move around.

“Our technology will help provide new transport for city centres, shopping and care facilities, airports and heritage sites,” said Keene. “The trial in Cambridge is the next step in proving it.”

Boasting a range of nearly 200km, the Aurrigo Auto-Shuttle is a conventionally driven electric and autonomous purpose-built vehicle, with its lightweight composite frame powered by a 22kW electric motor.

The external design is replicated inside, creating a safe environment for up to ten people to sit once Covid-19 social distancing is relaxed. This includes space for wheelchair users that can access the vehicle via an automatically deployed ramp.

Trials in Cambridge had been halted by the pandemic but, with mapping now complete, Rachel Maclean, the UK’s minister for the future of transport, officially marked the start of public testing by taking the first official journey last month.

“Self-driving vehicles present a number of opportunities for the UK, from providing safer, greener and more reliable transport services to creating tens of thousands of well-paid and skilled jobs across the nation,” said Maclean. “This project is hugely exciting and is an example of how self-driving vehicles could make it easier for people to travel on the UK’s future public transport network.” 

The GCP and Smart Cambridge-led trials will support research into potential driverless shuttle services to link the city’s other research campuses with the rail stations and park-and-ride sites. They will also explore how smart technology can be used to cut congestion and improve public transport, especially for shift workers, weekend shoppers and revellers.

“It is very exciting to see these vehicles working on real roads here as another first in Cambridge,” said Claire Ruskin, director of Cambridge Network and business representative on the GCP executive board. “These shuttles could be used on demand all day and night, every day of the year, which is unaffordable with our existing public transport.”

She said they were flexible and made good use of resources without needing significant infrastructure.

“As employment around Cambridge is 24/7 for many organisations – including our hospitals, emergency services and many of our labs – we have been anticipating this new technology to see how real operation will help people get around,” she said. “This trial is part of wider plans by the Greater Cambridge Partnership to help the area work sustainably as it continues to deliver world-leading innovation for the UK.”