by A self -driving bus service led Titanic Quarter onto the street in Belfasts.
The eight-seat Harlander is the first self-driving vehicle of Northern Ireland and will offer a free shuttle service in a pilot project by September.
It started on Tuesday and ran every 20 minutes between Titanic train station and catalyst.
The vehicle, which has a security operator on board, was described as the original step towards completely driverless transport systems in Great Britain.
Mike Dawson, director of People and Digital Transformation at Belfast Harbor, said it was a groundbreaking project for Northern Ireland.
“After eight test weeks, we look forward to starting the Harlander to the public to offer the connectivity of the last mile in the port area,” he said.
“This is a groundbreaking project for Northern Ireland and is a step towards driverless transport.
“Belfast Harbor has a strong track record in the support of innovations. This project supports our smart port ambitions and uses the latest technology to support our tenants and the public.
“We are pleased to see the public reaction and use of the service.”
In addition to a consortium of partners, Belfast Harbor leads the development of the Northern Ireland service in autonomous vehicles on publicly accessible roads.
The initiative has received a joint funding of government and industries in the amount of 11 million GBP, including 5.5 million GBP of Innovate UK funds, which works with the Center for Networked and Autonomous Vehicles, to invest 41.5 million GBP in innovation projects throughout the UK, to demonstrate real advantages of connected and autonomous vehicles.
