People in London and Edinburgh will soon be the first in the UK to experience self-driving vehicle services, as part of new public trials announced by Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark on a visit to Oxbotica (part of one of the winning consortia).

Once the preserve of science fiction and Hollywood films, the projects will allow the public to ride autonomous buses on a 14-mile route across the Forth Bridge (see page 14), and to book self-driving taxis to travel around parts of London (initially the Greenwich area).

The projects were selected after a competitive process and will share a £25 million Government grant through the fourth round of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Intelligent Mobility Fund.

Each pilot combines the strengths of leading names from business, technology and academia; they include Jaguar Land Rover, Addison Lee, Fusion Processing, Oxbotica, and the universities of Nottingham and the West of England.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Self-driving cars will revolutionise the way we move goods and people around
the UK. These projects and investments are exciting examples of our long-term plan in action — ensuring that we build on our strengths to reap the rewards as we accelerate towards our ambition to have autonomous vehicles on UK roads by 2021.

“Autonomous vehicles and their tech-nology will not only revolutionise how we travel but also open up and improve transport services for those who struggle to access both private and public transport.”

The Future of Mobility Minister, Jesse Norman, said: “The UK is a world leader in transport innovation. Automated-driving technology is advancing rapidly, and the UK market for connected and autonomous vehicles is forecast to be worth up to £52 billion by 2035.

“This pioneering technology will bring significant benefits to people right across the country, improving mobility and safety, and driving growth across the UK.”