Driverless shuttle bus on show at transport museum

A driverless shuttle bus said to be a "prototype of tomorrow's technology" is on display at a transport museum.

The Auto Shuttle, which is an electric and autonomous vehicle, can be found at the Transport Museum Wythall in Worcestershire.

The bus was previously used by Solihull Council as part of a pioneering study into the feasibility of self-driving mass transit solutions across the UK.

The museum said it was proud to display the shuttle as a static exhibit and hoped the range of public transport it had on show would help to educate the next generation.

The Auto Shuttle was designed and developed by the Coventry company Aurrigo.

The council bought it using a grant from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.

The purchase made Solihull Council the first local authority in the country to own and operate its own autonomous shuttle.

It was first tested at the NEC in 2020, where it operated autonomously along a one-mile pre-mapped section and transported more than 1,000 people during the four-week test period.

The vehicle also took part in passenger trials at Birmingham Airport.

The shuttle can carry up to 10 passengers and uses laser imaging and detection scanners, cameras and sensors, as well as modern software to detect, measure and understand its surroundings.

The technology enables it to move around interact with live traffic and street furniture with little or no operator input.

The shuttle is on display alongside the museum's wide range of buses and battery-electric vehicles that span more than 120 years.

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