Fleet of ‘driverless’ buses to launch on Forth Road Bridge in May

A fleet of so-called driverless buses is set to launch on the Forth Road Bridge within weeks.

Stagecoach has confirmed the buses will start operating from May 15 – taking passengers from Ferrytoll park and ride near Inverkeithing to Edinburgh Park Transport Interchange to the west of the capital.

The Perth-based operator say the five buses will run regularly on the 14-mile route, with capacity for about 10,000 passengers a week.

It will be the first service of its kind to run a full-sized fleet of autonomous buses in the UK.

Are the buses really driverless?

Despite being labelled autonomous – or driverless – a member of staff will sit in the driver’s seat during each journey to monitor the technology.

Another member of staff will take ticket sales and answer any customer questions.

On-the-road testing of the buses over the Forth Road Bridge began in April 2022.

The technology allows the bus to run on pre-selected roads with state-of-the-art sensors making sure it keeps on track.

The project, named CAVForth, involved Stagecoach working with firm tech Fusion Processing, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis and Transport Scotland.

Stagecoach is training 20 members of staff to run the buses.

The UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) also funds the project.

Carla Stockton-Jones, UK managing director for Stagecoach, said: “We are excited to introduce the UK’s first autonomous bus fleet in East Scotland.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of transport innovation with this project that marks a significant milestone for public transport and we look forward to welcoming our customers on board in the coming months.”