A trial of the United Kingdom’s first full-sized driverless bus is planned later this year.
A single-deck autonomous bus will be produced by transport operator Stagecoach in partnership with bus maker Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and technology company Fusion Processing.
The 12-metre ADL Enviro200 vehicle will be completely autonomous and able to operate without a driver in an off-road environment. The technology also delivers road safety benefits when driven in manual mode, Stagecoach says.
The bus is expected to be ready by the end of this year, with work on it being done at ADL’s Guildford site.
Short-term, the bus will be used in autonomous mode only within the depot environment. It will carry out movements such as parking and moving into the fuelling station and bus wash. Using self-driving vehicles within depots more widely could help improve safety, efficiency and space utilisation within the depot, Stagecoach says.
Legal restrictions mean the vehicle will not be used in autonomous mode in passenger service for some time. However, the system can be used straight away to help improve the safety of road users, the company says. For example, when the bus is driven in manual mode, the sensor system on the bus, while not engaged to drive the vehicle, can still be used to provide driver assistance by warning of cyclists or pedestrians in a blind spot or unexpectedly close.
Over time, autonomous bus technology is expected to be used more widely, including on services carrying passengers – dependent on legal developments, Stagecoach says.
“This is an exciting trial that will deliver the UK’s first fully autonomous single-deck bus,” Stagecoach UK bus engineering director Sam Greer says.
He says it could help improve safety and efficiency within Stagecoach’s depots, and in the long-term help transform bus travel.
The Stagecoach bus will be fitted with the CAVstar system provided by Fusion Processing. CAVstar was successfully used in the UK’s largest public trial of autonomous vehicles in Greenwich earlier this year, and other projects.
The system uses multiple sensor types, including radar, laser, camera and ultrasound, along with satellite navigation to detect and avoid objects and in planning an optimum path.
CAVstar will offer increased safety and efficiency, and will be demonstrated in the Stagecoach trials later this year, Fusion Processing chief executive officer Jim Hutchinson says.
ADL group engineering director Ken Scott says it’s a significant step to bringing fully autonomous vehicles to market.
