Sunderland to Trial Self-driving Shuttles and Lorries

The UK city of Sunderland has received £14m in funding to deploy self-driving shuttles and lorries. The project is seen as a major step towards deploying the technology on public roads. The HGVs will operate without any personnel on board but will be monitored by a remote safety driver as backup. The Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle project will trial three self-driving zero emission Aurrigo Auto-Shuttles, which will transport passengers on public roads between Sunderland Interchange, the Sunderland Royal Hospital, and the University of Sunderland City Campus. The project has been awarded £3m by the government, matched by industry to a total £6m and is led by Sunderland City Council in partnership with Aurrigo, Stagecoach, Angoka, Newcastle University, Swansea University, and BAI Communications.