Driverless car hire service goes live after trial

A new driverless car service with the potential to revolutionise car rental has launched in the UK today.

Customers can order an electric car via the Fetch app (fetch.io) and the company then delivers the car without a driver in the vehicle. Customers drive the car like any other car, using all of the controls. At the end of the hire period, Fetch collects the car without a driver being in the vehicle.

The technology is not autonomous. The vehicle is driven remotely by someone in a control centre, controlling the car as if it were a drone. According to Fetch, autonomous vehicles will still need human supervision of intervention for many years to come.

It said it had been trialling the system in Milton Keynes for 18 months without a single collision.

It adds that the technology: “enables car sharing operators to increase their utilisation significantly, reduce their fleet management costs and achieve profitability. By performing remote relocations and vehicle deliveries, fleet operators can increase their service area, offer more convenience and unlock demand for car-sharing in urban areas.”

Image: Fetch