MK Dons kick off UK's largest driverless car trial

Remote driving car app developer Imperium Drive has teamed up with the football club and Milton Keynes Council to allow people to order a driverless car through its Fetch app.

Imperium Drive said the user will then receive a car remotely controlled by an operator and chief executive Koosha Kevah added that a “safety driver” will also initially be in every vehicle ordered through the app as part of the trial.

Preliminary trials of the Fetch driverless cars began last year on private land and car parks around Stadium MK, the home of MK Dons, with the club now extending the trial to enable staff and players to use the cars to travel between the training ground and the stadium. If the trials go well, Imperium Drive said they will be expanded to include Milton Keynes railway station where they could be used by any commuter according to the company.

Fetch cars are delivered to users by a remote operator before the user takes over to drive it to their destination. The user does not need to find a parking space when they reach their destination and can just get out and allow the app to take control of the car again. Kaveh claimed the cars were “driverless but not autonomous” and “never drive themselves”.