Sunderland City Council has revealed the Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle (SAMS) project, a new initiative aimed at enhancing urban mobility and accessibility for residents and visitors.
The SAMS project will trial three self-driving zero emission autonomous shuttles, designed specifically for SAMS by Aurrigo, transporting passengers on public roads between Sunderland Interchange, the University of Sunderland City Campus and the Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Safety operators will be onboard SAMS, but the project is seeking to develop and demonstrate a cyber secure remote supervision protocol as Sunderland looks towards commercial deployment.
The project is led by Sunderland City Council in partnership with Aurrigo, Stagecoach, ANGOKA Ltd, Newcastle University, Swansea University and Boldyn Networks.
Sunderland’s mayor Dorothy Trueman said: “We are thrilled to welcome the innovative SAMS shuttle to Sunderland, marking the beginning of a new era in urban mobility for our residents and visitors.
“The arrival of SAMS signifies Sunderland and the wider region’s position as a forward-thinking location, leading the way in adopting transformative technologies that enhance the lives of our community members.”
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The council has said now that the SAMS project has been unveiled, it will shift towards implementing an operator training phase which will begin in April.
This will focus on operator training, equipping on-board safety attendants with the necessary skills to oversee and manage autonomous operations effectively.
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The project has also been awarded £3m by the government and matched by industry to a total £6m. The SAMS initiative is one of six successful CAM Deployment UK projects from the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Deployment competition.
Chief operations officer at Aurrigo, Richard Fairchild, said: “Collaborating with technology leaders at Sunderland City Council and other project partners to develop plans into real-world solutions is a significant step forward in research for self-driving vehicles operating on public roads.
“With the arrival of the SAMS shuttle, Sunderland is poised to emerge as a trailblazer in the realm of self-driving transportation, setting a precedent for other cities to follow in the quest for smarter, more efficient mobility solutions.”
Achievements and innovations in electric vehicles will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations officially open in March 2024. Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
