The road sweeper that thinks it’s an autonomous bus. It is.

Tuesday 28th November 2023

The autonomous vehicle industry is certainly booming as more trials get underway on the UK’s public roads including this latest one in Milton Keynes involving a rather strange looking bus.

It follows both the Didcot trial involving funding from the DfT’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) operated by First Bus and a whole host of tech partners and the Edinburgh CAV Forth trial involving Stagecoach and others with this latest escapade using the odd shaped vehicle running on a one-way circuit between Station Square, Midsummer Place shopping centre and Hotel La Tour over the past fortnight.

I paid a visit last Friday to see how it compared to both the Didcot and Edinburgh trials.

The project is being overseen by a Coventry based company called Aurrigo which has been involved in automotive technology for 30 years. It’s “autonomous technology division was established in 2016 to develop autonomous capabilities supported by the Group’s strong and extensive experience in the automotive division for vehicle engineering. It develops and manufactures autonomous vehicles and supporting systems from the “ground up.” Aurrigo designs and manufactures 4-seat, and 10-seat autonomous vehicles, and autonomous baggage-handling dollies.”

The trial is part of a Europe-wide research project funded by EU money under the European Institute of Innovation & Technology’s Urban Mobility Group which oversees projects under a LivingLAPT brand which stands for “a living lab for autonomous public transport and logistics services”. Who comes up with all these crazy titles?

Other comparable trials are taking place in the City of Ricany (near Prague, Czech Republic), Hasselt in Belgium, Kongsberg in Norway and Helmond in The Netherlands.

As in Didcot and Edinburgh, this trial is all about gaining experience of autonomous shuttle type services and learning the pitfalls and assessng opportunities for future applications.

The vehicle used in the Milton Keynes trial has certainly drawn many comments about its rather unusual design and appearance. Having posted a video of it on the social media channel X, I was deluged with replies about how much it looked like a road sweeper, not least with its flashing orange light on the front.

One wag suggested fitting brushes at the front and fulfill two objectives at the same time.

I thought it looked as if it had been half squashed by one of those vehicle crushers before being rescued.

Steve, Aurrigo’s project manager for autonomous vehicles, was encouraging those taking a ride in the trial to feed back their comments including about the design, as he thought the designer would be interested to hear them.

The vehicle uses five lidor sensors and seven cameras to create a full 360-degree view around it and navigate safely along its route which has been painstakingly mapped out prior to the trial using intricate software so it knows exactly where to go and how to get around obstacles it might meet along the way.

The circuit I took was in full autonomous mode except for negotiating the first (and only) roundabout and the final pull into the lay-by opposite Station Square which the driver on board controlled.

Aurrigo has a number of autonomous vehicles in its portfolio including an “Auto-Pod”. The one used in Milton Keynes is called an “Auto-Shuttle” which the company states is “a ten-seat passenger vehicle with the ability to operate fully autonomously or driven manually as a conventional EV shuttle. It is the first road legal vehicle to be manufactured by the Group.”

However, the ten person capacity includes two in the front cab so eight people travel in the body of the vehicle – four facing each other along similar lines to the pod I travelled on and blogged about on Harwell Campus, except this one offers no forward view of where you’re going as the window to the compartment where the driver sits is blocked by two monitors playing promotional videos.

Steve acknowledged the design flaw and said it would be modified in future designs.

The window in the rear is clear to see out.

There are also windows in the roof to watch the sky as you ride along.

The front compartment where, for now, the driver and safety operator sit has a rather strange access arrangement.

There’s room for two people as under current UK legislation as well as a driver behind the wheel there has to be a safety operator keeping an eye on the computer.

However, Steve was telling me the next trial is due to start next March involving two vehicles in Sunderland and will be in association with Stagecoach when they hope to get DfT approval to have the safety operator monitoring progress remotely rather than sitting in the vehicle.

Aurrigo also explain the Auto-Shuttle “has been designed to provide economical public transport in under-served or previously less cost-efficient parts of the country, as well providing an excellent transport solution in airports to move passengers to and from terminals and to operate airside with applications such as VIP transport and crew movements.”

It continues: “our 10-seat, autonomous shuttle vehicle is set to transform the way people transport around towns and cities. The shuttle, which comes after the success of our smaller AUTO-POD® (four-seat) vehicles, which are already gaining popularity globally, is the world’s first conventional electric and autonomous vehicle. The product helps to provide transport for city centres, shopping and care facilities, airports and heritage sites.”

It was interesting to take a ride around the circuit in Milton Keynes last Friday as it could well point to a possible application providing a link between the railway station and the shopping centre which are a frustrating 15-20 minute walk apart, although if you know from which bus stop to catch the next bus at both ends, Arriva operate a frequent service across a number of its local routes and in such circumstances who needs the expense of an autonomous vehicle?

The current vehicle is limited to a top speed of 20 mph but Steve told me the Sunderland trial will see the speed potential increase to 30 mph. Both the Didcot and Edinburgh trials involve standard size buses travelling at normal road speeds.

The Milton Keynes trial ends on Thursday so grab a ride while you can but pre-booking is necessary to avoid disappointment.

And if, like me, you’re thinking we’ll never see vehicles like this in mainstream bus operation other than for very niche areas, then think again. As only yesterday afternoon just before 16:00 an email popped into my inbox telling me to “get ready for our exciting weekly update from the Bus Centre of Excellence that you won’t want to miss!” It seems the excitement comes from “the BCoE team” adding “two must-read blogs to the website: “Autonomous Buses: Unveiling the Era of ‘AutoBus’” – Explore the future of transportation as we delve into the fascinating world of autonomous buses.”

My excitement boiled over as I clicked on the embedded link to see what gems I could add to my very own blog on the subject. And sure enough blogger Deni Krevesic didn’t disappoint with his insight of where Autonomous Buses will take us … in these short extracts from his musings…..

“Enhancing mobility and accessibility, it offers convenience for individuals who prefer not to or cannot drive. This will address the challenges of poorly connected areas with public transport and ensure inclusion and sustainable economic growth. By potentially reducing the number of cars on the road, AutoBuses could relieve busy highway networks, reduce accidents, and minimise pollution. Furthermore, they can improve safety and reliability by eliminating human errors.

“A chronic shortage [of drivers] is expected to double in five years, and the adoption of autonomous technology could significantly reduce costs associated with drivers and energy consumption. AutoBuses have the potential to be more cost-effective than conventional buses, lowering operational costs in the long run.

“AutoBus prioritises accessibility with features like ramps, wheelchair spaces, and multilingual interfaces. Flexible fares and routes promote inclusivity and equal access. By intelligently addressing challenges and prioritising safety and accessibility, AutoBus solutions hold the promise of reshaping our perception of self-driving vehicles.”

It sounds like Cloud Cuckoo Land to me. I’m beginning to wonder whether to take the Bus Centre of Excellence seriously. As I am Autonomous Buses.

Roger French

Blogging timetable: 06:00 TThS.

Comments are welcome but please keep them relevant to the blog topic, avoid personal insults and add your name (or an identifier). Thank you.