UK To Test Unsupervised Autonomous Transportation Pods

Right now when it comes to self-driving vehicles, one of the general rules that many follow around the world is that there needs to be a human behind the “wheel”. This is because in the event that something goes wrong, the human can take over and steer the car away or apply the brakes to prevent accidents.

However, there will come a day in the future where self-driving cars will no longer be supervised, and that’s something the UK is looking to test. Over at the Cribbs Causeway mall in Gloucestershire, it seems that they are looking to test out unsupervised autonomous transportation pods.

These pods will run between 10AM to 4PM everyday for an entire week, where they will ferry passengers around the premises along shared pedestrian spaces. This test is meant to act as an example of how the future of transportation could be, and as such, testing is necessary in order to give passengers an idea of what to expect, and also to give regulatory bodies an idea of how self-driving vehicles might fare when unsupervised.

According to George Lunt, technical director at infrastructure firm AECOM, “However, for this idea to fully develop, it is vital the public are on board and have the chance to experience a mobility service that can potentially transform the way they travel.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: Transportation
Tags: Self-Driving Cars