PEOPLE OFTEN ASK: WHY DO IT?

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will provide huge social, industrial and economic benefits to the UK. In particular, these innovative vehicles will expand our industrial base, improve safety and congestion, drive up productivity and free up space usually devoted to vehicles in our urban areas.

CAVs will transform the lives of six out of every 10 people in the UK, according to our research published with Strategy&, PwC’s consulting arm in Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: Revolutionising Mobility in Society. The first comprehensive UK-based study of the human impact of CAVs, canvassed the views of more than 3,600 respondents and found that this new technology will offer freedom to some of society’s most disadvantaged, including those with disabilities, older people and the young.

Technology, Operations, Consumers

CAVForth is  an exciting opportunity to develop cutting edge automated drive systems and implement them in the world’s most complex public transport pilot programme.

It will enable Stagecoach, the bus operator, to fully explore the commercial opportunities presented by autonomous buses, increasing the number of rural routes they can service and the frequency of buses on existing routes.

Customers will have the opportunity to help shape the future of autonomous public transport. We’ll be very keen to hear about your experience using the autonomous bus service. How did it compare to manually driven buses, was it smoother? Did it stick to the schedule? Or were you nervous? Do we, as an industry, need to build more public confidence in the technology?

What do autonomous vehicles offer me?

Autonomous public transport is an exciting development. Autonomous vehicles will ultimately offer a safer, more efficient means of travel. Autonomous public transport will keep to a schedule and offer a smoother ride as the AI system optimises acceleration, predicts red and green lights and reads the traffic flow to ensure braking zones with other vehicles are maintained whatever the weather conditions.

Job Creation

The Society for Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) predict that autonomous vehicles will generate £51 billion for the UK economy between 2014 and 2030 whilst creating 25,000 in automotive manufacturing and a further 320,000 jobs by the development of this technology.

Fuel efficiency

It is projected that the automated driving system will offer the ability to drive buses in a more efficient manner, optimising acceleration and deceleration to deliver very significant fuel savings and reduced wear and tear on the vehicle.  Savings are projected to be even greater on electric autonomous buses.

Safety improvements

Human error is identified as the cause for 95% of all road traffic accidents by the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents and the SMMT predicts that autonomous vehicles will prevent 25,000 serious accidents and save 2,500 lives (in the period 2014 to 2030).