Autonomous buses could hit roads in £40m competition

A new £40 million competition to kick-start commercial self-driving services, including buses, has been launched by the DfT.

The ‘Commercialising Connected and Automated Mobility’ competition will provide grants to help roll out commercial use self-driving vehicles across the UK from 2025. The competition is intended to help bring together companies and investors so that sustainable business models can be rolled out nationally and exported globally.

“This funding will help unlock the incredible potential of this new and growing industry” – Lord Grimstone

Minister for Investment, Lord Grimstone, said: “Self-driving vehicles have the potential to revolutionise people’s lives, whether it’s by helping to better connect people who rely on public transport with jobs, local shops, and vital services, or by making it easier for those who have mobility issues to order and access services conveniently.

“This funding will help unlock the incredible potential of this new and growing industry, building on the continued development of self-driving technology, attracting investment and helping make our transport cleaner, safer and more efficient.”