Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of autonomous vehicles on trends in the level of congestion in the next five years.

The introduction of the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme will facilitate small-scale pilots of commercial deployments.

For an APS permit to be granted, local consent is required from the relevant licensing authority or franchising body. My department has recently published guidance on the consenting process, setting out a range of potential considerations for applicants and consenting authorities. These include, but are not limited to, the extent to which proposed services align with local transport plans, environmental strategies and wider strategic priorities. As a result, issues such as congestion may appropriately form part of early engagement with the consent authority.

The Government’s consultation on the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme included questions relevant to congestion impacts. The Government response will be published in due course.