World first driverless BUS to ferry holidaymakers between terminals at major UK airport is unveiled
HOL YES! World first driverless BUS to ferry holidaymakers between terminals at major UK airport is unveiled
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HOLIDAYMAKERS will soon get the chance to be ferried between terminals in the world's first driverless bus at a UK airport.
The eight-seater auto shuttle will undergo a trial at Teeside International Airport from October.
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Teesside International Airport will be the first in the world to trial driverless buses
Credit: Alamy
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The new vehicle comes complete with a sleek, futuristic look
Credit: Teesside International Airport
A £1 million deal between the airport and Aurrigo International Plc will see the bus ferry passengers between terminals, while an Auto-Dolly Tug - designed to ferry cargo instead of passengers - will be trialled in January.
Managing Director at Teesside International Airport, Phil Forster, said the technology would make moving bags from check-in to planes seamless.
But Aurrigo's Auto-Shuttle will be tested before it carries any passengers across the tarmac.
It's hoped that, if successful, the new vehicles will transform the way passengers are moved around the airport.
And they could be shuttling passengers to their flights as early as 2026.
Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, told the BBC: "These vehicles arriving in just a couple of months' time are a huge boost and I'm excited to see them serving holidaymakers on our year-round flights in the New Year."
The futuristic vehicles come to the airport after plans were announced earlier this year to invest £2 million to build a facility that would construct and test trackless trams.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority hopes the facility would allow driverless vehicles to be put to work in town centres by the end of 2027.
He went on to say that the tech will likely have an impact on the whole aviation industry.
Aurrigo has deployed its driverless vehicles across the world before but has never trialled them at a live airport.
The Sun test drives the latest driverless taxis in Phoenix Arizona
The firm's test will mark a world first as the driverless buses take to the tarmac.
Driverless buses have previously been used in Scotland but never deployed to an airport before.
The new technology allows for operating costs to be reduced with no need to pay drivers.
Driverless vehicles are still relatively new and untested technology and are yet to be rolled out nationwide.
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World first driverless BUS to ferry holidaymakers between terminals at major UK airport is unveiled
The vehicles will complete a test run before carrying passengers HOL YES! World first driverless BUS to ferry holidaymakers between terminals at major UK airport is unveiled Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOLIDAYMAKERS will soon get the chance to be ferried between terminals in the world's first driverless bus at a UK airport. The eight-seater auto shuttle will undergo a trial at Teeside International Airport from October. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Teesside International Airport will be the first in the world to trial driverless buses Credit: Alamy 2 The new vehicle comes complete with a sleek, futuristic look Credit: Teesside International Airport A £1 million deal between the airport and Aurrigo International Plc will see the bus ferry passengers between terminals, while an Auto-Dolly Tug - designed to ferry cargo instead of passengers - will be trialled in January. Managing Director at Teesside International Airport, Phil Forster, said the technology would make moving bags from check-in to planes seamless. But Aurrigo's Auto-Shuttle will be tested before it carries any passengers across the tarmac. It's hoped that, if successful, the new vehicles will transform the way passengers are moved around the airport. And they could be shuttling passengers to their flights as early as 2026. Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, told the BBC: "These vehicles arriving in just a couple of months' time are a huge boost and I'm excited to see them serving holidaymakers on our year-round flights in the New Year." The futuristic vehicles come to the airport after plans were announced earlier this year to invest £2 million to build a facility that would construct and test trackless trams. The Tees Valley Combined Authority hopes the facility would allow driverless vehicles to be put to work in town centres by the end of 2027. He went on to say that the tech will likely have an impact on the whole aviation industry. Aurrigo has deployed its driverless vehicles across the world before but has never trialled them at a live airport. The Sun test drives the latest driverless taxis in Phoenix Arizona The firm's test will mark a world first as the driverless buses take to the tarmac. Driverless buses have previously been used in Scotland but never deployed to an airport before. The new technology allows for operating costs to be reduced with no need to pay drivers. Driverless vehicles are still relatively new and untested technology and are yet to be rolled out nationwide.
