Self-driving bus trial to launch in Cambridge

A new self-driving bus trial will kick off in Cambridge next year – though safety drivers will remain on board. The ‘on-demand’ self-driving shuttle service will run around Cambridge University’s West Cambridge Campus and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and the robo-busses will initially have a ‘safety driver’ on board as backup, but will eventually be monitored remotely instead. “In just a few years’ time, the business of self-driving vehicles could add tens of billions to our economy and create tens of thousands of jobs across the UK,” said Business Secretary Grant Shapps. This is a massive opportunity to drive forward our priority to grow the economy, which we are determined to seize. But of course it’s a trial, so they can’t just launch the things out of the garage and see if they cause a pile up or not.