International transport group Stagecoach is testing United Kingdom’s first driverless bus around a depot in Great Manchester recently. This is the first time a vehicle bigger than a four door car had been used with self-driving technology in Europe.
According to a report it is mandatory for drivers to be present on the trial buses as a precautionary measure. Plans to launch five autonomous buses between Edinburgh and Fife across the Forth Road Bridge Corridor in 2020 are in the pipeline, and the software used in the current trial is expected to form the basis of the project.
The driverless buses use a mix of radar systems, optical cameras, and ultrasound feedback to steer, while detecting and avoiding objects on the way.
Passenger comfort and security is of utmost priority of this technology. As Colin Robertson, CEO of Alexander Dennis Limited, which builds the buses, added, “We’ve been really focused on passenger safety.”
Fusion Processing is the company, which designed this self-driving technology. According to the Chief executive of the team Jim Hutchinson, “There are a lot of different sensors on the bus. Just like human drivers would use their eyes as cameras to keep everyone safe. Similarly the bus is with a system like ours, we’ve got radar, we’ve got cameras, we’ve got ultra-sensors and they work essentially in all weathers.”
Surprisingly they could even operate better in the rainy Manchester weather, enabling drivers to see in heavy rain or fog.
As planned, the technology will be tested outside the depot – on the roads of Edinburgh in the summer of 2020. Weekly, the prescribed 14-mile route will ferry around 10,000 to 12,000 passengers from Edinburgh to Fief.
