A Sunderland taxi driver was left astonished after witnessing a driverless minibus traveling from a local bus stop to Sunderland Royal Hospital.
The taxi driver recounted the unusual sight while on his evening shift. “I was waiting for a fare near the bus stop when I saw this minibus move off on its own—no driver, no one at the wheel, just cruising towards the hospital. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me,” he said. No one was on the minibus so he can only assume that it was doing test runs.
The sighting aligns with recent advancements in autonomous transport in Sunderland. The city has been trialing self-driving shuttle services as part of the Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle (SAMS) project, an initiative aimed at integrating autonomous vehicles into public transport.
The driverless shuttle, equipped with cutting-edge sensors and AI-driven navigation, is part of a larger push to make Sunderland a leader in smart city innovation. While the project is still in its early stages, the sighting suggests that trials may already be underway.
Although many residents are excited by the prospect of futuristic public transport, others have raised concerns over safety and reliability. However, transport officials have reassured the public that the vehicles undergo rigorous testing and are monitored closely by safety operators.
As Sunderland continues to develop its smart transport infrastructure, sightings like today may soon become a common occurrence.
