A raft of additional detail about a 24-hour, self-driving, transport system was revealed as a plan to look into the possibility was rubberstamped by Bolton Council.

The Connected and Autonomous Mobility System (CAMS) would run at least in part on a railway line between two hubs at Bolton Interchange and the hospital.

The council, in partnership with Dromos Mobility and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), submitted a successful bid for £199,760 to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, itself a part of the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Transport, this year.

On Wednesday, additional detail about the 24-hour, self driving, transport system was revealed by Dwayne Lowe, an Assistant Director of Place for the council. He told the members and officers in attendance there is an opportunity to take the CAMS to two other hubs in the borough as well.

Mr Lowe said: "This is Phase One and we are looking at Phase Two which would take the route to Logistics North.

"This is another employment zone which could be better served by public transport particularly from the town centre. 

"And bear in mind as it is segregated these will be very, very fast routes, a lot faster than at present because they are direct, point to point. 

"Then from Logistics North we have the opportunity to consider to take it to Westhoughton and to take it back into the town centre again."

David Grant, the leader of Horwich and Blackrod First, asked about areas such as crossings.

Although the infrastructure is separate it interacts with other infrastructure like a tram or a train.

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Cllr Grant said: "My concern is the automated vehicles interacting with the traffic. Whilst the automated vehicles are fantastic, humans are not, and it is the interaction with them which could cause a problem when we roll this out. 

"I am not against it but I am raising issues down the track so to speak."

Mr Lowe said: "Where they do interact all the signals will be on red so as long as everyone adheres to the Highway Code (it will be OK). 

"Dromos Mobility operate these vehicles elsewhere across the world so it is not an unknown.

"If we were awarded the funding we are talking a few years down the line before these are operational in Bolton so there is a lot of innovation to happen between now and then."

According to the Dromos Mobility website the idea of its autonomous electric vehicles is to provide the service of private transport at the price of public transport.

It says there is space for four people allowing users of the autonomous electric vehicles to travel with their family, their friends, or by themselves across the network.

It says its service costs around 50 per cent less and covers around 50 per cent less space in its surroundings in comparison to any alternative, rail-based service.

Meanwhile its safety and security is assured by a range of technology including the use of artificial intelligence to track traffic and to alter its actions accordingly.

A plan to look into the possibility was rubberstamped by cabinet member for transport Hamid Khurram allowing the £199,760 to be spent on a one-year study.

If the one-year study is successful there is a chance the scheme is to be backed by funding from the government.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.