Driverless ‘pods’ could soon be used on Hammersmith Bridge instead of cars

Commuters could soon travel to work or home in a ‘driverless pod’ – if a non-profit gets its way.

Hammersmith Bridge in west London has been closed to motor vehicles, including buses, since structural cracks were spotted in 2019. 

And the bridge looks set to remain shut to cars and lorries for quite some time – possibly forever.

Officials say that the 138-year-old landmark linking Hammersmith and Barnes needs so much work, it would ‘essentially require’ a new bridge.

But Barnes and Hammersmith Electric Light Transit (BHELT) has a solution – ‘lightweight autonomous electric pods’ shaped like cardboard boxes.

‘The pods are like small trams that run on “virtual tracks”, fixed routes that the onboard AI is trained on, initially with human assistance,’ the community group’s chair, Charles Campion, tells Metro.

What are the pods?

The pods, called the Ohmio AV Shuttle, would be a public transport service.

They don’t have steering wheels or a footbrake and, at most, weigh less than three tonnes when fully loaded.

The plan is to allow just one pod to cross at a time at a gentle speed, alongside people walking and cycling,’ says Campion. ‘Relatively low speeds will help to keep the stresses on the fragile structure manageable.’

Up to 14 people can board the tiny buses – eight seated and six standing – which can race through the city at a whopping 15mph.

There is also space for a wheelchair, which can be brought in by a ramp beneath the pod’s doors.

By using sensors, the driverless vehicle can ‘see’ what’s around it, such as swerving around roadworks or braking when someone crosses the road.

‘They are similar to driverless taxis in that they use a LiDAR technology which sends out and receives back laser pulses to an onboard computer to navigate safely,’ Campion says.

‘They will brake for pedestrians or other vehicles and can manoeuvre around unexpected obstacles without human guidance.’

This same programme would stop more than one pod trundling onto the creaky bridge at the same time, or when they’re too heavy.

‘Relatively low speeds will help to keep the stresses on the fragile structure manageable,’ Campion adds.

Where would the pods go?

The vehicles can’t hit the road yet as they legally need a driver.

So, for now, safety drivers have been taking them for a spin using a joystick.

They carried out test drives earlier this month from Barnes to Castelnau to teach the pod’s AI-powered maps to know the route, Campion says.

He suggested the pods could run from Hammersmith transport interchange to the Barnes side of the bridge and to Barnes railway station.

The shuttle buses were inspired by proposals made by the climate charity Possible in 2023 on the best way to restore Hammersmith Bridge.

If the pods aren’t rolled out in Hammersmith, campaigners do have other options.

As well as Hammersmith, Albert Bridge, nicknamed ‘the trembling lady’, will be closed to traffic this year after cracks were found.

Westminster, Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges are all also on a list by Transport for London (TfL) of ‘critical’ crossings in ‘poor condition’.

Tfl has no plans to roll out the pods at this time, the transport authority told Metro.

It added: ‘TfL has… no plans to introduce driverless buses elsewhere on the network.’

For Campion, the future of the crossing must be a ‘green’ one, with the pod service complementing local bus and railway networks.

‘Unnecessary car travel is choking the city and the people who live in it,’ Campion adds, ‘and bringing cars back over Hammersmith Bridge, even if it was affordable, would have made that problem worse.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Bus driver sacked for catching thief says it’s not worth tackling fare dodgers

MORE: Pickpocket hunter hits back after London mayor said he did not help fight crime

MORE: Fare-dodging has ‘wiped out’ TfL’s £168,000,000 price increase