Suffolk County Council recently received £75,000 to study whether self-driving shuttles could become part of how people get around in Suffolk. This study is called “ADASTRA.”
Lots of areas in Suffolk are rural or near the coast, and they don’t have many buses or trains. This makes travel slow and sometimes tricky, especially for older people. A self-driving shuttle could help as it’s environmentally friendly, and it might even take less time than regular transport!
Self-Driving Shuttle
- Built by a New Zealand company called Ohmio
- Already being used at BT Adastral Park
- Can carry 15 people total, though only 8 seats are fitted right now
- Has a safety driver on board during this study
What the Study Will Do
The team (Suffolk Council and Smart City Consultancy) will:
- Meet with people in the community to hear their thoughts
- Explore the rules and technology needed to safely run shuttles
- Design ideas and work out how much it might cost
- Think about how shuttles could join mobility hubs (places where many transport options come together, like buses or bikes)
- Test what people think about safety and usefulness before going further
What Could Happen Next?
If the ADASTRA project goes well, future versions might:
- Run without a driver, being monitored remotely
- Link villages or new neighbourhoods to bigger public transport routes
- Help tackle driver shortages and make travel more affordable and convenient
Did You Know?
- This project is one of 14 across the UK receiving funding from the Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder programme, which is part of a £150-million push to explore self-driving tech.
- The UK govt plans for self-driving tech to be a £40 billion industry by 2040!
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