On November 13th-14th, Scotland demonstrated Europe’s first full-sized self-driving bus.
The autonomous bus offered rides to people attending the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) transport trade show in Glasgow. The bus took passengers around the SEC car park in a prototype Stagecoach single-decker vehicle. Organizers of the CAV said it was the “ideal platform” to help the Scottish Government plan the development of such technology.
Adrian Tatum, CAV event director, said:
Having the prototype automated bus system at the event will give a real insight into what it will look like.
The “Project CAV Forth” buses will have more sensors and software than the prototype self-driving bus, to allow them to respond quickly to fast traffic. Michael Matheson was intrigued to see the demo of the prototype automated bus system because it’s a precursor to the vehicle that Project CAV Forth will use.
The vehicle was tested beforehand at Manchester bus depot in preparation for a passenger-carrying road trial, which will take place in 2020. There will be many autonomous buses operating on a 14-mile route between Ferry toll park and ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram interchange. A driver will be on board the bus as part of safety precautions.
Matheson said:
It’s the type of innovation that shows Scotland is very much open for business when it comes to trialing these vehicles. Our trunk road network can provide a wide range of environments as a diverse testing ground.
Furthermore, Matheson plans to test autonomous vehicles on single-track roads in remote areas.
The stagecoach chief executive Martin Griffiths believes our industry, customers, and employees can benefit profoundly from autonomous technology. “It can make services safer, more efficient, and help to deliver better journeys,” Griffiths said.
