Cambridge begins passenger services with autonomous electric buses from Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis announces it has started trial passenger operations of its autonomous Enviro100AEV electric buses in Cambridge as part of the Connector self-driving transport project. The buses were commissioned in mid-2024.

The first vehicle entered service on Wednesday 17 December, with a second Enviro100AEV set to join the trial in the coming weeks. The buses operate between the Trumpington and Babraham Park & Ride sites and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, running Monday to Friday and free of charge to passengers. Services are operated by Whippet, part of the Ascendal Group.

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Designed and built in the UK, the Enviro100AEV is a battery-electric autonomous bus equipped with an SAE Level 4 automated driving system supplied by Fusion Processing Ltd., integrating AI, high-performance computing, radar, lidar and cameras. Trained safety drivers are on board at all times.

Connector is a trial by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) to explore whether autonomous buses could be part of the transport solution for Cambridge in the future. It’s funded by the UK Government through the CAM Pathfinder Programme, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic. The buses are owned by Mistral Bus & Coach.

Jamie Wilson, Head of Concepts & Advanced Engineering, Alexander Dennis, declares “Our Enviro100AEV carrying passengers as part of the Connector trial is another great milestone for autonomous bus technology in the United Kingdom. This moment builds on years of advanced research, development and testing in multiple projects, and Connector again sets new standards for what is possible today with the technology of the future. We are incredibly proud to work with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Whippet, and to have supplied these buses for Connector together with our technology partner Fusion Processing and Mistral Bus & Coach as the owner of the vehicles.”

Steve Low, Managing Director, Mistral Bus & Coach, states: “This project is an important milestone in bringing safe, zero-emission, self-driving technology closer to everyday public transport. We are proud to be working alongside Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing, the Greater Cambridge Partnership and the wider project team on a trial that is helping to build confidence and trust in this emerging technology.”

Ed Cameron, Managing Director, Whippet, says: “The launch of a second route with self-driving buses in Cambridge will allow more people the chance to experience how the new technology works, as well as further assessment of the role it may play in providing public transport in the future.”