To make self-driving vehicle operations commercially viable, and offset current technology and driver costs, they must operate as efficiently as possible. This project therefore proposes a multi-area, multi-application self-driving operation, underpinned by a 5G-based, central, Remote Monitoring Teleoperation (RMTO) system. We will operate a mixed fleet of 13 self-driving vehicles, moving passengers between Solihull rail station and Birmingham Business Park, and between Coventry rail station and Coventry University campus. These routes have a known, current, need for alternative transport and offer an ideal platform from which to develop commercial self-driving solutions. To maximise efficiency, and improve commercialisation opportunity, the Coventry operation will utilise the same vehicles at off-peak to make local University mail and parcel deliveries. To deliver this ambitious project, the consortium includes technology organisations, academia, transport authorities, insurance companies, local councils, and industry specialists. The central RMTO will monitor the fleet and ensure difficult situations can be remotely overcome. The self-driving vehicles will use a common self-driving solution including: * A lift-and-shift vehicle automation stack, * An advanced asset management system, * A Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app. The self-driving platform will be enhanced to a L4 capability with the intention to remove the on-board supervisor from the vehicle - leveraging the RMTO. Extensive verification and validation will be undertaken, including: * Evolution of simulation environment * Edge-case utilisation to enhance AV performance * Specific RMTO operational considerations and minimum risk manoeuvres * In-depth safety assessment based on operations without on-board operator(s) The project will have an extended phased trial across both locations: * Phase 1 -- engineer supervisors on board * Phase 2 -- trained supervisors on board * Phase 3 -- RMTO-only The project will demonstrate and further develop an understanding of: * Commercial viability of self-driving operations, and the influence that central RMTO, shared fleets, and multi-application aspects have on the business case * Passenger value and pricing components of such services * Ongoing operational practices, including insurances, repair and maintenance, fleet ownership and service operation * Verification and validation of L4 systems * Human factors and development of remote assistance and driving Core outputs from the project will be: * Phased trials and operation * Business case with a clear route to commercialisation of such services in other parts of the country The ideal intention of the consortium is to demonstrate commercial viability and continue the services beyond the project as commercial operations, serving Solihull and Coventry, with a route to delivering similar services elsewhere in the UK.

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) are a route to safe, accessible, readily available and zero emission transport for society. Vehicles can be operational 24/7 to support affordable mobility as and when people need it, whilst minimising the crash risks brought into driving by human operators. Systems have been developed and trialled, however, when operating on public roads, currently a safety supervisor must be present in the vehicle in case anything goes wrong. Additionally, safety concerns related to potentially unreliable communications or cyber security failures need to be allayed to facilitate a widescale roll out. To fully realise the opportunities that CAVs can bring, we need to develop and test appropriate, safe, and cyber resilient systems and protocols that allow fully autonomous operation on UK public roads. The SPACES project aims to demonstrate that the jump to fully commercial services without onboard safety supervision is not a dream but is achievable now. The SPACES project will be led by RDM Group who, via their autonomous vehicle arm Aurrigo, have developed and tested the autonomous AUTO-SHUTTLE for road operations and the AUTO-POD(r). RDM will work with key organisations including Warwick Manufacturing Group, Vodafone, Thales, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Syselek and the National Exhibition Centre. The assembled group will allow SPACES to develop the technological innovation in CAV engineering and communications with the cyber resilience required to operate without safety supervision, whilst developing real life informed test cases that can be trialled at the Midlands Future Mobility CAM testbed. Our project will culminate in a live demonstration at the NEC, where our autonomous vehicle can be showcased at a specially built test bed site located within the NEC grounds. The demonstration events will show key stakeholders including transport operators, local and national government, vehicle manufacturers and the general public that CAVs can be operated safely and securely. We will seek to widely disseminate and communicate our research outputs to outline CAV safety and support societal understanding of this technology and its potential uses and positive impact. SPACES will develop, verify and validate CAV technology, communications systems and cyber security requirements, strengthen the safety case for CAVs, provide increased understanding of the infrastructure needed for safe operation and inform UK policy, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of removing the need for an on-board safety supervisor whilst operating in a live environment.