Coventry, Solihull, and Birmingham awarded £15.2m to bring driverless shuttles to the city

A project developing driverless shuttles in Coventry, Solihull, and Birmingham has received £15.2m in funding.

An automated shuttle route, which would run between Coventry rail station and Coventry University campus, has received a grant from the government and industry.

It is part of a plan by the driverless vehicle company Conigtal, which would see routes served by a mixed fleet of 13 automated vehicles, underpinned by a new centralised Remote Monitoring Teleoperation (RMTO) centre operated by Transport for West Midlands.

This RMTO centre will be used to monitor the project’s vehicles and, if necessary, control them using 5G connectivity.

The company also intends to operate routes in Birmingham – these shuttles would run between Birmingham International railway station, the city’s Business Park, and the NEC.

“In just a few years’ time, the business of self-driving vehicles could add tens of billions to our economy and create tens of thousands of jobs.”

–Grant Shapps

Solihull council leader Ian Courts said automated shuttle trials had already been carried out “safely” in the borough.

He added: “However, this next step will help develop our understanding around the commercial viability of self-driving operations.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, the cabinet member for jobs, regeneration, and climate change at Coventry City Council, said: “We are extremely pleased to be involved in this project which will further develop the way connected and autonomous vehicles will help revolutionise the way we travel in the future.

“This is an emerging sector which will create jobs and opportunities for local people, supporting the economic success of the city.

“Working with our partners, the city and region is really leading the way here, not least because we have the industry expertise to drive this forward much like our other pioneering projects including Very Light Rail.”

Don Dhaliwal, the CEO of Conigtal, said: “We are excited to work with such a forward-looking council such as Coventry and other partners to accelerate a joint vision of Autonomous, Connected, Electric & Shared (ACES) fleets to address the cities and businesses needs to Go Zero, Zero Accidents, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion for a safer and cleaner and more climate-conscious future whilst creating new jobs via delivery of sustainable, accessible commercial CAV services.”

The government has awarded £42m to automated vehicle projects around the country, and the figure has been matched by private industry.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “In just a few years’ time, the business of self-driving vehicles could add tens of billions to our economy and create tens of thousands of jobs.”