The buses will launch this upcoming Monday, 15 May with a fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV vehicles.

The autonomous buses will cover a 14-mile route, operated by Stagecoach, navigating through mixed traffic at speeds of up to 50mph. 

Each bus will have two staff members on board: one driver who can take control of the vehicle if necessary, and another “captain” responsible for ticket sales and customer service. 

The project, called CAVForth, claims to be the first registered bus service in the world to use full-sized autonomous buses. After completing one million testing miles, the project is now expected to carry up to 10,000 passengers per week. 

Paul Davies, president and managing director at Alexander Dennis said he believes the driving systems like this one will improve road safety by reducing reaction times, and offering the ability to drive buses in a more efficient manner by optimising acceleration and deceleration, reducing energy usage and wear and tear on the buses as well. 

The project is not only groundbreaking in its technological feats, but aligns with Scotland’s net-zero policy by promoting people to use buses and trains.

The implementation of driverless bus services is seen as a major milestone in the pursuit of safe, accessible, and eco-friendly transport systems. 

Among the first to try the bus was Scotland Transport minister Kevin Stewart, who told the PA news agency: “I felt very safe on the bus, there has been a huge amount of testing. There were staff on board. I hope the people of Fife and Edinburgh, and see for themselves just how safe all of this is.

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“We need people to use public transport more, whether that be buses or trains. We’re doing all that we can to encourage people on to public transport.”

Passengers who wish to try out the bus can find it at the Ferrytoll park and ride near the Forth Road Bridge starting on Monday.