Come and test driverless vehicles on our roads, Government tells industry

The Government wants to attract driverless vehicle technology trials onto the country’s roads, in an effort to make the UK a world-leader in the field.

Andrew Forster

20 February 2015

The Meridian shuttle, which is part of the GATEway project based in Greenwich, was the highlight of the press launch last week. Eight of the vehicles will start operating round the Greenwich peninsula this summer. Left to right: Vince Cable, the business secretary; Claire Perry, the transport minister; Pierre Lefevre, managing director of Phoenix Wings; Denise Hyland, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich; and Nick Reed, TRL Academy director.

The Segway

Pods: testing in Milton Keynes

Vehicles used in on-road trials are unlikely to have any identifying features

The Government is opening the country’s road network up for the testing of driverless vehicles in an effort to win a big slice of the research and development work in this fast-developing field.

“Driverless vehicles can legally be tested on public roads in the UK today,” declares a review of the legislative environment for driverless vehicles conducted by the DfT and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). “The Department [sic] does not believe...