A world-first autonomous bus service with the highest capacity in Scotland

As a result of years of planning and preparation, Scottish authorities have launched the UK's first autonomous bus service. As a result of the world's most ambitious and complex autonomous bus pilot, public transportation could become safer, more reliable, more efficient, and more accessible.

It was a historic day in Scotland on May 15, 2023, when five passenger-carrying autonomous buses entered service. CAVForth is part of the ￡6.1m (US$7.4m) project funded by the UK Government's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV). This marks a significant milestone for the industry because, while autonomous vehicle trials have been conducted in the UK and Europe, this is the first time a full-sized bus is being used by a registered bus service.

“This is a world first in terms of capacity of paying passengers on an autonomous bus.”

?“It’s by far the most advanced trial of this type of service to date.”? Robert Vermeer Program manager at Innovate UK.

From Ferrytoll Park & Ride in Fife to Edinburgh Park Transport Interchange, the five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles cover a 14-mile route across the Forth Road Bridge. The buses travel in mixed traffic and can reach speeds of up to 50 mph. About 10,000 passengers a week can be transported by the service. This pilot project uses a new route that has been specifically chosen after consultation with the operator.

Future of public transport?

Stagecoach, Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing, Transport Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and Bristol Robotics Lab are collaborating to build the CAVForth bus. It aims to demonstrate that autonomous buses can improve safety and improve customer service while also reducing energy consumption and emissions.

Through automation and connectivity, transport services can be made more efficient. By connecting and communicating directly with vehicles, and enabling them to drive more smoothly, you can reduce congestion and ensure more reliable journey times, especially on shorter journeys. This allows you to provide better customer service.

As a result of greater efficiency and reliability, a more cost-effective system can be made available to more people. But the most important benefit is safety. On UK roads, approximately 86% of road accidents are caused by human error. By eliminating human variability and introducing a system that moves along the road network in a safer and more reliable manner, we can significantly reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. Using this technology, we can make roads safer.

Technology that is autonomous

Fusion Processing's CAVstar automated drive system (ADS) controls the CAVForth buses. AI controllers and sensors enable the vehicle to drive autonomously within its operational design domain (ODD). There is redundancy in all safety-critical systems on these buses, and they are designed to operate at SAE Level 4 autonomy. There are also two staff members on board the buses: a safety driver to monitor the systems and a bus captain to take tickets and answer customer questions.

As the bus's eyes and ears, the CAVstar system helps it perceive its surroundings. Other road users, such as cars and cyclists, can be identified and tracked as they approach the bus to prevent collisions. A series of cameras, lidar, and radar sensors are used to accomplish this.

A radar provides a long-range view of the hazards, while cameras and lidar provide a mid-range and short-range view. An artificial intelligence system collects and processes cameras' and sensors' images and data in real time. Using this information, the vehicle's control systems can be adjusted instantly. Furthermore, there is a safety system that prevents the vehicle from making any unsafe movements. Another part of the system is dedicated to route planning. With this type of mapping, the vehicle knows exactly where it is and where it is going. The vehicle knows where the bus stops are and makes sure it is in the right place at the right time.

A fully electric Enviro100AEV bus from consortium partner Alexander Dennis will also feature CAVstar technology. The new bus will join the existing test fleet of five Enviro200AV diesel buses. Even though the project isn't necessarily aimed at supporting net zero, putting an electric bus on the road instead of another diesel vehicle will automatically reduce emissions.

Challenges with autonomous technology

During the project, CAVForth 2 challenges the consortium to commercialize its service. Commercializing with profitability means removing the safety driver, which is a big challenge. Commercial vehicles currently have a high operational cost (around 60%) because of their drivers. Over time, highly trained, technical fleet operators will gradually replace conventional vehicle drivers in this project.

Regulations will also need to be changed. The presence of a human driver affects around 300 laws or pieces of legislation. Taking out the human driver will require amending 300 laws.

Future of autonomous buses for public transport

Commercial vehicles are the first opportunity for autonomous vehicles to be commercialized. Commercial vehicles operate on repeat routes, and fleet operators are always concerned about safety, fuel efficiency, and reducing costs. Using autonomous vehicle technology to bring all of that together. The main objective is to provide alternative transportation systems to city planners and regional planners. As with trains, people can walk on and off these vehicles. Drivers can spend more time taking care of passengers than driving.

Autonomous vehicles are on the way, and it appears that the market will be huge. According to a recent independent report, the UK market will be worth around ￡42 billion (US$52.6 billion) by 2035. Stagecoach is a well-known operator, so this is a high-profile project. In Edinburgh, people are using the service. Students will visit the Forth bridge to learn what the bus does and how it works. The public perception of this technology will change significantly as a result.