Driverless buses heading to city centre

The self-driving shuttles will have back-up human drivers

Passengers will be able to ride on self-driving buses in Sunderland from May.

The buses will transport people on public roads between the city's transport interchange and Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The vehicles have back-up drivers who can takeover the vehicle at any point.

The shuttles could point towards a future of sustainable transport, a council official said.

The vehicles are currently being trialled at the Stadium of Light, so the back-up drivers can get used to the technology.

Liz St Louis, at Sunderland City Council, said the authority hoped the buses would run on a 15-minute loop on roads between the Park Lane interchange, hospital and the University of Sunderland.

Two self-driving vehicles will be operational from May.

'Safe and efficient'

Richard Fairchild at Aurrigo, the firm which designed the shuttles, said that the vehicle had several sensors which allowed it to detect obstacles.

“The vehicle can then respond accordingly - just like a human driver would,” said Mr Fairchild.

“We are very confident that we will bring a safe and efficient pilot to Sunderland,” he added.

The scheme in Sunderland is the result of the government-backed Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Connected and Automated Mobility programme.