The UK's first ever driverless bus service has been launched over the Forth Road Bridge. Scotland's Transport Minister, Kevin Stewart, was one of the first to strap in for the short journey between Ferry Toll, near Inverkeithing in Fife, and Edinburgh Park on Thursday.
The Stagecoach vehicles were tested on the service, which is the first autonomous bus service in Britain. It will operate on a trial basis until 2025 and each bus will have two members of staff - a safety driver who can take control of the vehicle, and another "captain" to sell tickets and provide customer service.
While buses generally have just one driver, the captain is on board to demonstrate what a full-size autonomous bus may feel like in the future when the buses can operate with one member of staff who can leave the cab while the computer does the driving. A fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles will cover a 14-mile route, in mixed traffic, at up to 50mph across the bridge.
