An exciting new chapter in sustainable travel has begun at Birmingham Business Park, as the award-winning Solihull & Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project launches its first full-route autonomous shuttle service.

From Thursday 5 February, a fleet of self-driving shuttles will begin operating along a 7km route linking Resorts World, the NEC campus, Birmingham International Train Station and Birmingham Business Park. It’s the first time the vehicles have travelled this complete journey, marking a major milestone for autonomous transport in the region.

Building on earlier success

The SCALE project has been developing and testing autonomous travel since March 2024, when three Ohmio Lift shuttles began operating around the NEC campus. Until now, the service stopped short of the busy Bickenhill Parkway roundabout. Extending beyond this point and onto Birmingham Business Park makes this the most ambitious real-world deployment of the project so far.

The latest phase is supported by Liftango, specialists in demand-responsive and fixed-route transport systems used across the world. Their UK team is providing real-time vehicle coordination, trip scheduling, dynamic routing and live shuttle tracking, helping ensure a smooth and reliable service for passengers.

Try it for yourself

Anyone visiting the NEC, Resorts World or Birmingham Business Park is invited to experience the shuttles first hand. There’s no need to book – simply turn up and hop on board. The service runs Tuesday to Thursday, 10am–3pm, until 26 March 2026.

Passengers can also follow the vehicles in real time and view the full route via the SCALE Project website: https://thescaleproject.io/.

Shaping the future of travel in Solihull

Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Planning at Solihull Council, said:

“Seeing the autonomous shuttles travel the full 7km route for the first time is a major milestone for SCALE. Extending the deployment across a more complex environment gives us invaluable insight into how autonomous transport can integrate safely and seamlessly into busy public settings. We’re excited to invite visitors, workers and residents to come and experience this technology for themselves as we continue shaping the future of shared transport here in Solihull.”

Lori McDonagh, Marketing, Community and Business Development Manager at Birmingham Business Park, added:

“As a destination that welcomes up to 10,000 visitors every day, we’re always looking for innovative ways to improve connectivity and enhance the experience for everyone who works here or comes to the park. Hosting the full-route deployment of the SCALE autonomous shuttles is an exciting step forward, giving our community the chance to engage directly with this exciting technology.”

Grant Fraser, UK Business Development Director at Liftango, said:

“Supporting the first full-route deployment with our real-time mobility platform demonstrates how digital infrastructure and autonomous technology can work hand in hand. SCALE is showing what the future of shared, sustainable transport can look like, and we’re excited to help bring that vision to life.”

Dean Zabrieszach, CEO of Ohmio, commented:

“Launching the full 7km SCALE route is a major step forward for autonomous transport in the UK. Moving beyond a campus environment and operating across a live, mixed-traffic network demonstrates the maturity, safety and real-world readiness of Ohmio’s autonomous shuttle technology.”

A collaborative project

The SCALE programme is led by Solihull Council and delivered in partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the University of Warwick, Coventry University, Transport for West Midlands, Ohmio, the NEC, Coventry City Council, IPG, dRISK and Liftango. It is funded through the UK Government’s CAM Pathfinder programme, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with Innovate UK and Zenzic.