Testing begins on UK’s first autonomous bus

The trial will see five single-deck autonomous buses operating at SAE Level 4. Photo: CAVForth

The UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus will take to the roads of Scotland for the first time this week as live testing begins for project CAVForth.

Stagecoach will be carrying out on-road testing of the autonomous bus over the next two weeks in preparation for the launch of the CAVForth pilot service later this year.

The Project CAVForth pilot will see five single-deck autonomous buses operating at SAE Level 4 over the Forth Road Bridge between Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife and 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 (22.5km) across the bridge, with a 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.

As part of project CAVForth, around 500 members of the public have helped with the implementation of the new autonomous bus service on it, providing feedback on what would make them feel comfortable and confident in travelling. But during the testing, no passengers are allowed on the bus.