Currently, no passengers are permitted to ride on buses.
CAVForth is a UK-funded autonomous vehicle project that began road testing its new buses today. Although fully autonomous vehicles may not be possible for many years, projects such as this are helping to create the foundations for passenger and service vehicles that can operate safely without the assistance of a driver.
The test will last for two weeks, and five single-decker buses will be traveling 14 miles on the route. This is practice for when the service will eventually ferry passengers between Ferrytoll Park and Ride, Fife and Edinburgh Park and Tram interchange. A single bus can carry up to 36 passengers once the service is operational. It will be able to transport more than 10,000 passengers per week and is expected to go live in the late summer.
Before moving to on-road testing, the project performed a series depot-based trials, track testing, virtual simulations, and track testing before proceeding to on-road testing. CAVForth sought feedback from approximately 500 people to help determine how buses should be operated. The service will include a staff member onboard every autonomous bus. CAVForth works with Transport Scotland, Fusion Procession and Alexander Dennis.
Stagecoach will soon start recruiting 20 “Autonomous Bus Professionals” for its autonomous bus systems. A “Captain”, who will interact with passengers and answer their questions, will be on hand to help them navigate the autonomous bus systems. The buses will operate at SAE Level 4 which means that the system doesn’t expect the driver or vehicle operator to take control. However, may come with vehicle controls.
“This is a significant step forward in our quest to fully launch the UK’s first autonomous bus service. It will allow easy access to a brand new bus route in East Scotland,” stated Sam Greer, the Regional Director for Stagecoach in Scotland.
It is still many years away that fully autonomous vehicles without any controls will be mainstream. There are still many hurdles to overcome before the technology can be trusted and safe enough for humans to drive in all driving situations. The tech will improve as companies make improvements to it. As a result, cars will become fully autonomous. Buses, robotaxis and other services are likely to adopt the tech for use only in geofenced areas.