Self-driving bus on show as part of transport trial

People had the chance to ride on a self-driving shuttle bus during a trial of the vehicles.

Residents of Mildenhall, Suffolk, were invited to see how the technology could shape the future of local travel.

As well as a ride in a prototype, they heard how Suffolk County Council hoped the buses would work alongside existing forms of transport.

Graeme Mateer, head of transport strategy, said: "We're not looking to replace buses everywhere, but to fill in the gaps where it's not viable to run a normal bus service."

He said: "It could be in rural areas, but it could be in town locations as well.

"For example, doing a shuttle service around a town to link people with their home, town centre or a mobility hub, or maybe in a rural area out to a town or a high frequency bus service or train station."

Mateer said the authority was "interested to see how people react" to the autonomous vehicles, adding that Saturday's event was a "chance to make sure people feel safe".

A second public event will be held on 28 February with residents in Lowestoft also set to get a chance to experience a ride aboard the ADASTRA prototype technology.

The council said it had worked with Smart City Consultancy to assess the technical, operational, and regulatory requirements of incorporating autonomous shuttle services into a potential future network of mobility hubs across the county.

It is also working with Ohmio UK to deliver the £325,000 feasibility study to explore how autonomous shuttle buses could be used.

The ADASTRA prototype, built in New Zealand, is designed to be a fully autonomous vehicle, with no steering wheel or driver's seat.

It can carry up to 14 passengers at speeds of up to 40mph (64km/h), however, during the trial it has been limited to eight seated passengers with a safety operator, travelling at up to 15mph (24km/h).

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