The trial of an on-demand car-hailing service that uses remote-controlled driverless vehicles has been launched in Milton Keynes.
Backed by the Government and Milton Keynes Council, the 'Fetch' service allows people to use a ride-hailing app to order a car to be delivered by remote control, guided by an operator back in a control centre.
When the car arrives, the customer drives the vehicle normally to their destination, at which point the remote operator can take back control and pilot the vehicle back to base or the next fare.
Imperium Drive, the company running the trial, said a 'safety driver' will initially be in every vehicle. A fleet of vehicles fitted with the proprietary remote driving software is currently operating on private routes.
The vehicles have been using roads and car parks around Milton Keynes stadium (pictured), the home of MK Dons football club and the team's players and staff will be taking part in the trials.
The service is set to be extended to include public roads over the next 12 months.
Koosha Kaveh, CEO of Imperium Drive, said: 'Our goal is to make on-demand door-to-door transport more cost-effective and convenient than every alternative, even privately owned cars.
'There are real environmental benefits too, with the potential to greatly reduce the number of private cars on the road. With Fetch, users hail a car to their doorstep and within minutes can be on their way, driving themselves to their destination in their own time and at their convenience. They don’t even have to worry about parking when they get there.'
The technology uses 5G connectivity, with funding provided by the Government’s ‘5G Create’ initiative and start-up accelerator funds Entrepreneur First and Techstars.
Head of transport innovation at Milton Keynes Council, Brian Matthews, told the BBC driverless cars could be common in the town within two years.
'We've been working at this for a number of years. We want people to move away from single-occupancy cars. We're looking at a range of solutions not just these driverless cars, but also larger shuttles using similar technology and four-seater pods that are completely autonomous.'
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