The UK's first full-sized driverless bus will take to the roads of Scotland for the first time this week, operating across the Forth Road Bridge between Fife and Edinburgh Park.
Stagecoach, in partnership with Alexander Dennis and Transport Scotland, have announced the exciting and revolutionary news as testing on the bus will begin soon, although no passengers will be able to board during this process.
The eventual launch of 'CAVForth' will hopefully be carried out later this summer.
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The project, jointly funded by the UK Government's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), will see five single-dec buses operating at SAE Level 4 over the Forth Bridge between Ferrytoll Park and Ride, in Fife, and conclude at the Edinburgh Park Train and Tram interchange.
The buses are fitted with Fusion Processing’s ground-breaking sensor and control technology, CAVstar, that enables them to run on pre-selected roads without the safety driver having to intervene or take control. The buses will provide a service capable of carrying up to 36 passengers over the 14 miles across the bridge, with capacity for over 10,000 passengers a week.
The on-road testing in Scotland follows successful depot-based trials, track testing and virtual simulation where the buses have been put through their paces to fine tune the autonomous drive systems.
Transport Scotland recently opened a section of Scotland's busy M8 bypass for all buses, reducing journey times and improving journey reliability for all buses of 24 seats or more on approach to Edinburgh.
As part of project CAVForth, around 500 members of the public have helped with the implementation of the new autonomous bus service, providing feedback on what would make them feel comfortable and confident in travelling.
Built on the feedback received, the partners have developed a vision for the new autonomous vehicles, which includes making sure future autonomous bus services still have a member of staff on board.
Sam Greer, Regional Director for Stagecoach in Scotland, said: "Stagecoach is continuing to look for ways to improve the service it offers to customers, including through major investment in new technology, such as the CAVForth pilot.
"This is a hugely exciting project for Scotland and we are pleased to be starting live testing on roads this week. This is a major step forward in our journey to fully launch the UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus service and will provide easy access to a brand-new bus route in the heart of East Scotland.”
Chris Gall, ADL Group Engineering Director, said: "The start of on-route testing is a milestone for our autonomous bus project. In partnership with Stagecoach, Fusion Processing and Transport Scotland, Project CAVForth helps us to explore new technologies that will make buses even safer and even more efficient. As we move towards passenger services later in the year, the project will be a landmark demonstration of future technologies in transport."
