Autonomous buses to become ‘fully operational” later in 2021

Five autonomous buses that could carry 10,000 passengers per week are expected to become “fully operational” on a 30-mile route between Edinburgh Park and Fife, according to the capital’s recently released city mobility plan.

According to the document, which goes before councillors in a meeting tomorrow, the buses feature as part of the city’s commitment to using technology to improve its transport infrastructure.

“Edinburgh has an ambitious agenda for change, including to be carbon neutral by 2030 (supported by an achievement target by the end of 2037). To achieve these changes, Edinburgh needs a new plan for mobility and transport that addresses the challenge of reducing carbon emissions and how people, goods and services move into and around the city. It also needs to address air quality, congestion, accessibility and inclusion, cost of travel and convenience of payment, safety and how to create space for people in the city,” the plan, which goes before the transport and environment committee, says.

In the ‘smart city and innovation’ section of the report, the council outlines how the buses – run by the Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach – are part of the overarching digital strategy launched last year, which aims to ’embrace innovative technical solutions to meet rapidly evolving and changing business needs’.

....A consortium of UK partners are in the process of designing and developing a fleet of full-size autonomous buses that will service a new Stagecoach-operated route running from Ferrytoll P&R in Fife, across the Forth Road Bridge into Edinburgh Park’s transport interchange.

The project has emerged from an existing partnership between Fusion Processing, Alexander Dennis Ltd and Stagecoach which has already automated a full-size bus able to drive itself around our Sharston depot in Manchester. Other partners include Napier University, Bristol Robotics Lab and Transport Scotland.....