Transport operator Stagecoach, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and technology company Fusion Processing are collaborating on a trial of the United Kingdom’s first full-sized autonomous bus.

A product of ADL, the ADL Enviro200 vehicle, which was demonstrated for the first time publicly on Monday, March 18, is being trialed in a Manchester bus depot.

During the trial, the bus will be used in autonomous mode within the depot environment to perform movements such as parking and moving into the bus wash.

“This is an exciting project to trial autonomous technology on a full-sized bus for the first time in the UK,” says Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths.

The ADL Enviro200 vehicle can now operate autonomously within Stagecoach's Sharston depot. According to the partners, the technology could provide future road safety benefits for vehicles operating in manual mode.

The autonomous bus has been equipped with Fusion Processing’s CAVstar system, which was successfully used during a public autonomous vehicle trial in Greenwich last year.  

The system uses a variety of sensor types such as radar, LIDAR, and optical cameras, along with satellite navigation, to detect and avoid objects, in all weathers, day and night, and plan an optimum path for the vehicle.

The software being used for this trial will form the basis for an autonomous vehicle trial expected to start in 2020. During that trial, a fleet of five autonomous buses similar to the one being trialed now will carry passengers between Fife and Edinburgh, across the Forth Road Bridge Corridor.

“Beyond this trial we look forward to continue our collaboration with Stagecoach and Alexander Dennis Limited delivering the world’s first large scale autonomous bus service in Edinburgh in 2020,” says Jim Hutchinson, CEO of Fusion Processing.