Starting from next month, driverless buses will transport people to work in Solihull and the NEC.
As part of a permanent commercial route, passengers will be able to take buses from Birmingham International rail station to Birmingham Business Park via the NEC Birmingham.
This route is part of a larger project coordinated by a regional collaboration led by Conigital.
A link connecting Coventry rail station and the Coventry University campus will also be built as part of the Multi-Area Connected Automated Mobility (MACAM) project.
The two new routes will be served by a mixed fleet of 13 autonomous shuttles, and the system will be backed by a new centralized Remote Monitoring Teleoperation (RMTO) center.
The RMTO centre, which is run by Transport for West Midlands, will monitor the automated cars and, when necessary, manage them through 5G connection.
The initiative intends to make self-driving car operations financially feasible and to cut technology and operator expenses.
Solihull Council is anticipated to receive a £279,260 grant to cover income for project managing vehicle deployment in Solihull, as well as capital costs for installing roadside equipment to allow the vehicles to operate effectively.
