A newspaper in Scotland is running a poll of readers asking if they’d ride in a driverless bus when its service launches next week, and at the time of writing two thirds say “no”.
The CAV Forth service launches next Monday across the Forth Road Bridge and newspaper the Courier is running a poll of readers asking if they think it’s safe.
Currently around 67% have ticked “no”.
The service will be showcased to the media this Thursday (11 May) and Highways News has secured an invitation to be there, so will be running reports and live Twitter updates throughout the afternoon.
The project is delivered by Fusion Processing Ltd, Stagecoach, Alexander Dennis, Transport Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and Bristol Robotics Lab which is part funded by the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. It will be the first registered bus service in the UK to use full sized autonomous buses. A fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles will cover a 14-mile route, in mixed traffic, at up to 50mph across the iconic bridge from Ferrytoll Park & Ride, in Fife to Edinburgh Park Transport Interchange.
The service will operate a frequent timetable with the capacity for around 10,000 passenger journeys per week and will have two members of staff on board: a Safety Driver in the driver’s seat to monitor the technology, and a ‘Captain’ in the saloon to take tickets and answer customers questions.
(Picture – Stagecoach/CAV Forth)
