Autonomous vehicles -- cars, buses, and shuttles that drive themselves without human input -- have been "a few years away" for quite some time. The technology has proven more difficult to perfect than early optimists predicted, and fully autonomous vehicles remain a rarity on UK roads. Nevertheless, the technology continues to advance, and its eventual deployment at meaningful scale could have significant implications for how people access live events.
The promise
The potential benefits of autonomous vehicles for event access are compelling. The most obvious is convenience. Imagine being dropped off at the entrance to a festival by your self-driving car, which then parks itself in a remote car park and returns to collect you when the event ends. No circling for parking spaces, no long walks from distant car parks, and no need to stay sober enough to drive home.
This scenario could also dramatically change the economics and logistics of event parking. If autonomous vehicles can park themselves remotely -- in a field a mile from the venue, for example -- the amount of land needed for parking near the event could be significantly reduced. This could free up space for the event itself, reduce the environmental impact of large car parks, and improve the arrival experience for attendees.
Congestion management could also be improved. Autonomous vehicles, communicating with each other and with traffic management systems, could coordinate their approach to an event venue, smoothing traffic flow and reducing the bottlenecks that currently plague event access routes. Staggered arrival and departure times, dynamically managed by the vehicles themselves, could spread the load on road infrastructure.
Autonomous shuttles and buses
The application of autonomous technology to public or shared transport may arrive sooner than fully autonomous private cars. Autonomous shuttle services -- operating on fixed routes between transport hubs and event venues -- are already being trialled in various locations around the world, including some UK sites.
For events, autonomous shuttle services could provide frequent, reliable, and potentially cheaper transport between car parks, train stations, and event entrances. These services could operate continuously, eliminating the wait times that characterise current shuttle buses, and could be dynamically adjusted to match demand throughout the event.
Autonomous buses on dedicated routes could also improve public transport provision for events, particularly in areas where conventional bus services are infrequent or unreliable. The economics of autonomous buses -- which eliminate the cost of drivers -- could make it viable to provide transport services that would not be commercially viable with human-driven vehicles.
Accessibility benefits
One of the most significant potential benefits of autonomous vehicles for events is improved accessibility. Currently, attendees who cannot drive -- due to disability, age, or lack of a licence -- are dependent on public transport, taxis, or lifts from others. If public transport is inadequate, which it often is for events in less accessible locations, these attendees may effectively be excluded.
Autonomous vehicles could provide personalised, door-to-door transport for attendees who currently have limited options. For wheelchair users, autonomous vehicles designed with accessibility in mind could provide step-free access and adequate space without the need to book specialist transport in advance.
For older attendees and those with mobility impairments, being dropped off directly at the event entrance rather than having to walk from a distant car park could make the difference between attending and staying home. Autonomous on-site transport -- small vehicles that shuttle attendees around large event sites -- could also improve accessibility within events.
The timeline reality
It is important to be realistic about when these benefits might materialise. Fully autonomous vehicles on UK public roads are not imminent. The regulatory framework is still being developed, the technology faces significant challenges in complex driving environments, and public acceptance is uncertain.
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 laid the groundwork for autonomous vehicles on UK roads, but practical deployment at scale is still some way off. Most experts expect limited autonomous vehicle services -- on specific routes, in specific conditions -- before fully autonomous operation becomes widespread.
For the events industry, this means that planning for an autonomous future is sensible, but expecting it to arrive quickly would be optimistic. The more immediate transport challenges -- EV charging, public transport improvements, active travel infrastructure -- are likely to deliver benefits sooner.
Planning for uncertainty
The uncertain timeline for autonomous vehicles creates a planning challenge for the events industry. Venues built today will need to function for decades, and designing them without considering autonomous vehicles could mean costly retrofitting later. Equally, over-investing in autonomous infrastructure that does not materialise would be wasteful.
A flexible approach seems sensible. Venues and event sites should be designed with adaptable transport infrastructure that can accommodate both conventional and autonomous vehicles. Car parks that could be repurposed if autonomous vehicles reduce parking demand, and pick-up/drop-off areas that could be expanded for autonomous shuttles, represent prudent investments.
The events industry does not need to wait passively for autonomous vehicles to arrive. It can engage with the technology developers, participate in trials, and help shape the regulatory framework to ensure that the needs of events are considered. By being proactive, the industry can help ensure that when autonomous vehicles do arrive, they deliver genuine benefits for event access.
