CAVForth
First full-size public autonomous bus service in the world.
CAVForth (Connected Autonomous Vehicles) was a pilot project in eastern Scotland aimed at developing autonomous bus services for passengers in the UK. The UK government described it as the world’s first full-size public autonomous bus service. It used five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV diesel single-deck buses built to SAE Level 4 standards, meaning a driver was always on board but did not have to control the bus during normal operation.
The scheme was first announced in November 2018, with £4.35 million in partial funding from the UK Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Alexander Dennis built an Enviro200 MMC fitted with radar, optical cameras, LiDAR, and ultrasound sensors for self-driving capability. This bus underwent technical trials at Stagecoach Manchester’s Sharston depot in March 2019, including parking, depot driving, and going through the bus wash. Later rebranded as the Enviro200AV, it was trialled again at the CAV Scotland conference in Glasgow in November 2019.
The project involved funding and partnership between Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing, Stagecoach Group, Transport Scotland, Napier University, and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Passenger service was initially planned for mid-2020, but COVID-19 delays pushed back trials. In April 2022, five Enviro200AVs were tested at up to 50 mph along the CAVForth1 route over two weeks. The first passenger-carrying trials took place in January 2023.
The first route, AB1, was launched on 11 May 2023 by Scottish Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart, with public operations starting on 15 May. In February 2023, an additional £10.4 million was secured for an extension to Dunfermline called CAVForth2.
AB1 was a park and ride service running every 30 minutes, seven days a week, between Edinburgh Park and Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife via the M8, M9, M90, and the Forth Road Bridge. It covered 14 miles and was projected to carry 10,000 passengers per week. The service used five Enviro200AVs operated by Stagecoach East Scotland, each with a safety driver and a bus captain to assist passengers. By 2024, only one bus remained in use. In December 2024, Stagecoach East Scotland announced the AB1 would end on 14 February 2025 due to low passenger numbers making it unsustainable.
Quick Facts
- Subheader
- Connected Autonomous Vehicles
- Operator
- Stagecoach South Scotland
- Vehicle
- Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV
- Pvr
- 2
- Open
- 15 May 2023
- Close
- 14 February 2025
- Start
- Ferrytoll Park and Ride
- Via
- Forth Road Bridge
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The CAVForth pilot was first announced in November 2018, having secured £4.35 million in part funding from the UK Government's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis constructed an Enviro200 MMC equipped with radar, optical cameras, LiDAR and ultrasound sensors, which was subjected to technical trials at Stagecoach Manchester's Sharston depot in March 2019. The bus, later rebranded to the Enviro200AV, was trialled again in Glasgow at the CAV Scotland conference in November 2019. The scheme was developed with funding from and partnership between Alexander Dennis, Fusion Processing, the Stagecoach Group, Transport Scotland, Napier University and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
The pilot was set to commence passenger-carrying service as early as mid-2020, but delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw the first trials of five Enviro200AVs limited to 50 mph along the CAVForth1 route take place over two weeks in April 2022. The first passenger-carrying trials eventually took place in January 2023. The first route, numbered AB1, was launched on 11 May 2023 by Scottish Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart, ahead of public operations on 15 May. An additional £10.4 million of funding was secured for an extension to Dunfermline named CAVForth2 in February 2023.
Service AB1 operated at a 30-minute frequency 7 days a week between Edinburgh Park and the Ferrytoll Park and Ride site via the M8, M9 and M90 motorways and the Forth Road Bridge, with a projected capacity of 10,000 passenger journeys per week. Each bus was crewed by a safety driver and a 'bus captain' who assisted passengers. The service was reduced to a single Enviro200AV during 2024, and in December 2024 Stagecoach East Scotland announced withdrawal of the AB1 on 14 February 2025 due to low passenger numbers. CAVForth2, an extension to Dunfermline covering 20 miles, planned to install self-driving technology in pre-existing diesel buses, with an Alexander Dennis Enviro100AEV battery electric midibus planned for engineering trials.
Reader's Guide
The CAVForth scheme is significant as the first full-size public autonomous bus service in the world, according to the UK government, marking a milestone in the deployment of SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles in regular public transport. Its development involved a consortium of industry, academic and government partners, and the buses used a combination of radar, optical cameras, LiDAR and ultrasound sensors to achieve self-driving capability. The scheme's first route, AB1, operated for less than two years, from May 2023 to February 2025, before being withdrawn due to low passenger numbers making the service unsustainable. The pilot's legacy includes the planned CAVForth2 extension to Dunfermline, which aimed to retrofit self-driving technology into existing diesel buses and trial a battery electric midibus. The scheme demonstrated both the technical feasibility of autonomous bus operation on motorways and the challenges of achieving sufficient passenger demand to sustain such services commercially.
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