feature The last mile face of the future Autonomous pods have been trialled in the UK throughout the summer and could be set to change the face of our first and last-mile journeys. Sarah Juggins investigates ar-free town centres, driverless pods, tailored travel to airport terminals the transport landscape is changing and the future is fast becoming the here and now. That, at least, is the view of developers working in the autonomous vehicle sector. With automated parking becoming a reality, the next stage for designers and engineers is the refinement and implementation of autonomous vehicles. Aurrigo a division of the RDM Group has been behind the trials of autonomous pods in Milton Keynes and Coventry over the summer. Together with its partners, it hopes this first and last-mile transport initiative will become a regular feature across the UKs towns and cities. The sight of a whale the collective name for a number of pods in a line may soon be familiar. Driving change The initiative is part of the UK Autodrive Programme a government-funded initiative to explore transport solutions in the UKs heavily populated urban centres. Milton Keynes Council is looking to use pods to transport people from the station to the town, creating a template for a carless future. During the trial, the public were able to travel around the city centre in the pods. The current crop can take four passengers at a time and travel at speeds of six to eight miles per hour, covering 60 miles on one 20 Britishparking.co.uk PNDec18 pp20-23 Lead Feature AMENDED.indd 20 26/11/2018 16:19