Eyewitness
Edinburgh: ‘World’s first’ driverless bus service doesn’t quite live up to the hype
We took a trip across the Forth Road Bridge ahead of the official launch on Monday.
Connor Gillies
Scotland correspondent @ConnorGillies
Thursday 11 May 2023 16:07, UK
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It looks like a bus, it sounds like a bus… it is a bus. However, this one is self-driving and believed to be the world’s first autonomous single-decker passenger service.
Journalists were summoned to a unit near Edinburgh to board the nine-tonne vehicle for a test run ahead of the official launch with passengers on Monday.
Paying punters will be able to ride along a 14-mile stretch between Fife and Scotland’s capital city.
Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart (right) and Stuart Doidge with one of the new buses on show at the Traffic Scotland National Control Centre in South Queensferry, during the launch of the UK's first autonomous bus service. A fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles will cover a 14-mile route, in mixed traffic, at up to 50mph across the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh. Picture date: Thursday May 11, 2023.
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Transport minister Kevin Stewart (right) and Stuart Doidge with one of the new buses
The service will operate on a trial basis until 2025 with a fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles.
However, the “driverless” boast doesn’t quite live up to the name.
One of the new buses crosses Forth Road Bridge in Scotland, during the launch of the UK's first autonomous bus service. A fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles will cover a 14-mile route, in mixed traffic, at up to 50mph across the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh. Picture date: Thursday May 11, 2023.
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One of the new buses crossing the Forth Road Bridge
This is a vehicle with a “safety driver” behind the wheel who guides the bus on the twists and turns.
He eventually nervously removed his hands on the famous Forth Road Bridge when the road became straight.
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The bus crawled along as the state-of-the-art sensors took control. All eyes were alert on the path ahead. A far cry from the usual relaxing experience.
It can do 50mph, but the media minders were nervous for anything going wrong during their “big moment”.
The reality is this is a pilot and requires double the manpower of a standard bus. There is also a ticket operator on board helping.
Self-driving bus.
Self-driving bus.
Image:
The vehicles will have a ‘safety driver’ behind the wheel
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There are questions about the sustainability of this in the “real world”. Businesses require cash and this model seems like a drain on resources in order to show off a new bit of technology.
The teams behind the bus were telling reporters about how there was big interest from Dubai and Tokyo as they pivot this towards the international market.
One of the new buses crosses Forth Road Bridge in Scotland, during the launch of the UK's first autonomous bus service. A fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles will cover a 14-mile route, in mixed traffic, at up to 50mph across the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh. Picture date: Thursday May 11, 2023.
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The buses can go up to 50mph
But this is a long way off becoming the norm. It could 2040 before drivers are removed altogether. The pace of technological change may mean we all live in a different world by then.
Nevertheless, this is a big moment for Scottish and UK engineers who will proudly remember the moment they delivered the first “driverless” buses.
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