STARTING IN CHESTERELECTRIC TRAVEL. CONNECTED CITIES.
Imagine reaching work, meeting friends or arriving in the city without needing to own a car. Shared electric, driverless transport could make that choice easier.
A GLIMPSE OF 2035
A Cybercab for a personal journey. A Robovan for a shared connection. Imagine how both could fit into the city.
Picture an on-demand connection between home, the station and the city.
Picture shared journeys linking neighbourhoods, workplaces and transport hubs.
WHY EXPLORE THIS?
The opportunity is to make everyday life easier while protecting what makes Chester special.
For someone who cannot drive, a dependable journey could mean easier access to work, appointments and friends. For a household, it could make keeping a second car less necessary.
Design for accessible vehicles, affordable fares and help beyond an app.
If shared travel reduces private-car use and parking demand, Chester could create more room for people, public spaces and a welcoming historic centre.
Protect walking, wheeling and cycling; manage pickup points and empty vehicle journeys.
Better connections from the station and neighbourhoods could help visitors reach shops, restaurants and attractions, and help employers connect people with jobs.
Test demand with businesses and existing transport operators, including travel outside peak hours.
An electric fleet has no exhaust emissions while driving. Shared rides could also reduce energy use per passenger when vehicles are well used and replace private-car trips.
Measure total mileage and lifecycle emissions. Electricity, batteries, tyres and empty running still have an impact.
The council’s Local Transport Plan 4 sets a direction for fairer, sustainable transport and a thriving borough. This proposal offers one idea to test against those goals; it is not an adopted council scheme.
Read the council’s transport strategy ↗A SHARED OPPORTUNITY
A useful service starts with the people who will use it, shape it and make it work.
MORE CHOICE, EVERY DAY
Imagine an easy connection after a train journey, a shared trip to work or a visit to family without arranging a lift. Pay-as-you-go and membership options could give people more choice, subject to viable pricing.
Clear fares, reliable pickups, accessible options, straightforward booking and a real person to help when needed. Affordability and coverage must be tested with users.
YOUR PART IN SHAPING ITHelp identify the journeys that are hardest today, the times that matter and the support you would need to feel confident using a driverless service.
First conversation: which journey would make the biggest difference to your life?EXPLORE A POSSIBLE START
Adjust an illustrative fleet to explore its capacity.
Illustration only: 12 completed journeys per vehicle per day, seven days a week. Not a demand forecast; charging, downtime and journey length could change capacity.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP DELIVER
Local hubs would bring together charging, cleaning, inspections and maintenance, creating potential roles for property owners, energy providers and service businesses. Site access and electricity capacity need testing before locations are selected.
A driverless service still needs passenger support, vehicle recovery, maintenance and incident response. Explore local skills and training with employers, colleges and existing taxi and bus operators, including how current transport jobs could be affected.
Safe pickup points, links to rail and bus services, accessible journeys and coordination around roadworks would shape a useful city network.
Approved vehicle technology, dependable booking, privacy, cybersecurity and transparent performance reporting would all need to work together.
FROM CONVERSATION TO EVIDENCE
2035 is a vision horizon, not a promised launch date. Select a stage to see what it would need to prove.
BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS
Explore the city's needs with transport stakeholders, technology providers and the relevant authorities.
A shared problem statement, credible technology dialogue and a clear route to investigating permissions.
OUR COMMITMENTS TO CHESTER
Plan for different mobility needs, with accessible vehicles and ways to get help.
Connect to trains, buses, walking and cycling, with reduced car dependence as the ambition.
Design around approved technologies and useful journeys, rather than relying on one manufacturer.
SUCCESS MEANS PUBLIC BENEFIT
A pilot should earn its next step through evidence. Agree a baseline and targets before it begins.
Who can use it, which gaps it fills, accessible-trip completion and fare affordability.
Safety performance, pickup reliability, passenger confidence and response when help is needed.
Car trips replaced, public-transport connections, traffic effects and impact on local businesses.
Passenger occupancy, empty miles, lifecycle emissions and sustainable operating costs.
Environmental benefits depend on how a service is used. Research highlights a trade-off between lower parking demand and extra traffic from empty vehicles. Read the research ↗
THE NEXT STEP
Bring residents, the council, transport operators and potential delivery partners together for an initial feasibility conversation.
The immediate aim: agree the problem, the people who need to be involved and a focused feasibility brief.
Email hello@godriverless.co.uk ↗