Self-driving bus service takes to the road in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter

By Rebecca Black, PA

A self-driving bus service has taken to the road in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

The eight-seater Harlander is Northern Ireland’s first self-driving vehicle, and will provide a free shuttle service in a pilot project until September.

It started on Tuesday, running every 20 minutes between Titanic Halt Railway Station and Catalyst.

The vehicle, which has a safety operator on board, has been described as an initial step to fully driverless transport systems in the UK.

Mike Dawson, people and digital transformation director at Belfast Harbour, said it is a ground-breaking project for Northern Ireland.

“Following eight weeks of testing, we are delighted to launch the Harlander to the public to offer last mile connectivity on the Harbour Estate,” he said.

“This is a ground-breaking project for Northern Ireland and is a step towards fully driverless transport.

“Belfast Harbour has a strong track record of supporting innovation, and this project supports our smart port ambitions, utilising cutting-edge technology to support our tenants and the public.

“We’re excited to see the public reaction and utilisation of the service.”

Belfast Harbour is leading the development of the service, which is Northern Ireland’s first step in autonomous vehicles on publicly accessible roads, alongside a consortium of partners.

The initiative has received £11 million (€12.6 million) joint government and industry funding, including £5.5 million (€6.3 million) in funding from Innovate UK, which is working with the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles to invest £41.5 million (€47.8 million) in innovation projects across the UK that demonstrate real-world benefits of connected and autonomous vehicles.