Here's a first glimpse of the driverless bus that will take to the streets of Milton Keynes next month

The StreetCAV is a ‘plug-and-play’ driverless shuttle and is the result of years of work to make towns and cities smarter, greener and more inclusive.

It will be trialled in the city centre in December and, if successful, should be ready to take its first passengers in 2025.

And you can see it for yourself this week at the new Smart City Experience Centre at centre:mk's Middleton Hall, where it is currently on display.

The bus has been developed by a consortium of private and public sector organisation, supported by funding from Zenzic’s CAM Supply Chain UK programme.

Smart City Consultancy (SMCCL) is the company leading the project, which it hopes will become a blueprint for UK-wide deployment.

Ian Pulford, CEO at SMCCL, said: “The StreetCAV project has been going for some time now so we are absolutely thrilled that it is finally at a stage where we can reveal it to the world.

“Thanks to the partners we’ve been fortunate to involve in the project, we truly believe we have developed a solution which can change the future of urban mobility while making our towns and cities smarter, greener, and more inclusive.

"We have also worked rigorously to ensure public safety. Working closely with Milton Keynes City Council, BT and ECS, we will establish a city centre control room, connected by a specifically designed communications network, provided by CableFree, which will in-turn allow the Ohmio vehicles to be supervised and managed remotely.

“It really has been a fantastic project to work on and we can’t thank all of our partners and funders enough for their continued work and support.”

Zenzic was set up by industry and the government to help the UK become a world-leader in the development and deployment of self-driving and connected vehicles.

Over the last few years, the organisation has provided over £100million in funding to scores of projects through its programmes, as well as helping set up the CAM UK Testbed.

Mark Cracknell, program director at Zenzic, said: “We are proud to have supported the development of StreetCAV and to have worked with all of the partners involved in this pioneering project.

“Should the trial prove a success, it could lay the foundations for a more connected, inclusive, and resilient transportation network not only for Milton Keynes, but for towns and cities across the globe.

“It is a perfect example of how, by working more collaboratively and bringing together industry, academia and the public sector, the UK can lead the way in accelerating the self-driving revolution.”

The other partners involved in the StreetCAV project are Milton Keynes City Council, Ohmio, CableFree, BT and Electronics Computers and Systems.

CCAV is a joint policy unit of the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). It leads the way in shaping and delivering the UK government's policies on connected and autonomous vehicles, ensuring that the UK remains at the cutting edge of this transformative technology.