Autonomous electric shuttles have begun operating on a 7-kilometre public route in Birmingham, marking the most advanced phase so far of a UK trial testing self-driving, zero-emission vehicles in live mixed-traffic conditions.
The service connects Resorts World Birmingham, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Business Park, operating as part of the Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project. The initiative is led by Solihull Council and involves multiple public and private partners.
Until March 26, the autonomous shuttles run from Tuesday to Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Travel is free and does not require advance booking, project organisers said.
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The fleet comprises Ohmio Lift autonomous electric shuttles supplied by Ohmio. Full-route operational support is provided by Liftango, which is responsible for real-time vehicle coordination, passenger trip scheduling, dynamic routing and live shuttle tracking.
The launch represents a significant expansion of the SCALE programme, which previously operated three autonomous shuttles within the NEC campus between March 2024 and July 2025. Extending operations onto public roads shared with conventional traffic introduces a higher level of complexity and is intended to generate data on safety, reliability and integration with existing transport systems.
“Seeing the autonomous shuttles travel the full 7 km route for the first time is a major milestone for SCALE,” said Andy Mackiewicz, cabinet member for climate change and planning at Solihull Council. “Extending the deployment across a more complex environment gives us invaluable insight into how autonomous transport can integrate safely and seamlessly into busy public settings.”
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Grant Fraser, UK business development director at Liftango, said the deployment demonstrated how digital platforms and autonomous vehicles could be combined in real-world transport networks.
The SCALE consortium also includes Warwick Manufacturing Group, Coventry University, Transport for West Midlands, the NEC, Coventry City Council, IPG and dRISK.
The project is funded through the UK government’s CAM Pathfinder programme, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.