Luton Dart airport shuttle welcomes first passengers

King Charles III took a ride on the Dart in December

A driverless shuttle service has been taking its first passengers to and from an airport terminal.

Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) was due to open in 2020 and has finally came into use.

The 1.4-mile (2.2km) track links Luton Airport Parkway railway station to the terminal and takes about three minutes.

Luton Rising, which owns the airport, said it would initially operate on a restricted timetable of an "entirely flexible" four hours per day.

This would gradually extend towards a 24-hour service in three weeks' time, eventually replacing shuttle buses, it added.

The King was one of the first people to ride the cable-drawn shuttle, when he was given a special trip on 6 December during a visit where he also had an egg thrown towards him while he was in the town centre.

The new service connects the airport terminal with Luton Parkway railway station

The DART line is 1.4 miles (2.2km) long

The stops include sliding glass doors on the platforms

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