GCP/Whippet Coaches autonomous bus trial (SJ71 HRM) - 25 Jun 2025 (P1210390)

Wednesday 25 June 2025 – The second phase of the Greater Cambridge Partnership ‘Connector’ autonomous bus trial saw the launch of a timetabled public service on 24 June 2025.

The circular service operates from the Madingley Road Park & Ride site travelling via Eddington and the Cambridge West Campus of the University of Cambridge and has four trips in the morning peak and four in the afternoon peak. (Departures are at 0730, 0800, 0830 and 0900 then 1530, 1600, 1630 and 1700 with the circular taking 18 minutes).

The vehicle employed is SJ71 HRM, a Mellor Orion E bodied Fiat Ducato 15 seat electric bus, which is operated by Whippet Coaches Limited, one of the partners in the trial. Whippet has operated full sized electric buses in partnership with the University of Cambridge between the West Cambridge campus and the Biomedical Campus since September 2023.

The vehicle was new in September 2021 and initially operated in the Didcot area of Oxfordshire with First Bus owned Beeline as their number 59200.