Events Outwith Grampian: Driverless bus on Scottish roads today for tests
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The UK’s first driverless bus is due to take to the roads of Scotland this morning for a series of tests.
If these tests go as planned, Stagecoach aims to launch a driverless service over the Forth Bridge by late summer.
This would see passengers taken on the 14-mile journey between the Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park Train and Tram interchange.
Five driverless buses, each carrying up to 36 people at a time, would together have the capacity to transport more than 10,000 passengers every week.
Sam Greer, regional director for Stagecoach in Scotland, said: "This is a hugely exciting project for Scotland and we are pleased to be starting live testing on roads this week.
"This is a major step forward in our journey to fully launch the UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus service and will provide easy access to a brand-new bus route in the heart of East Scotland."
Today's road testing follows depot-based trials where the buses were put through their paces to fine tune their autonomous drive systems.
Stagecoach says when the service goes live, experienced bus drivers will monitor the autonomous system.
There will also be a 'bus captain' aboard the vehicle who will move around and answer any questions passengers might have.
