Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Driving innovation – 38,000 jobs on the horizon as pilots of self-driving vehicles fast-tracked, published on 10 June 2025, whether the autonomous vehicle pilot schemes supported by her Department are intended to operate on a national basis, and what consideration has been given to the inclusion of towns, cities, and rural areas across all regions of the UK.

The government intends to launch the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme in Spring 2026; this scheme applies to Great Britain.

The scheme will allow developers and potential operators to evaluate different areas for pilot deployments and test the commercial viability of this new mode of transportation. This includes in towns and rural areas where there may be a lack of transport provision.

Through this scheme, the government aims to create the right enabling framework for services to be able to deploy across a range of locations.