As part of the roll-out, the Government has pledged to spend an additional £100 million to facilitate autonomous vehicles, including £34 million towards new research and a further £20 million spent on commercial services. 

Alongside this, ministers have committed to bringing forward new laws to support the introduction of self-driving cars by 2025. This new legislation would implicate manufacturers as responsible for a vehicle’s actions, meaning human drivers would not be liable for any incidents related to driving. 

Users won’t need to hold a driving licence as the vehicle will undertake the entire journey without needing human input. The technology works by using a combination of lasers, cameras and radar to recognise objects, like other cars and pedestrians, to plot a course and navigate the car.

There are a few different levels of autonomous control. Some vehicles have driverless features which can be turned on or off by the driver, but other cars won’t need any human interaction at all.

Vehicles capable of driving themselves on motorways could be available to purchase within the next year, though users will need a valid driving licence to drive one.

The Government will also seek to determine regulatory guidelines for the governance of self-driving vehicles. The safety ambition for self-driving cars is to be as competent and careful as a safe human driver. 

This ambition would inform minimum benchmarks that vehicles need to meet before being allowed on our roads. Likewise, organisations such as manufacturers could face sanctions if these standards are not met.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We want the UK to be at the forefront of developing and using this fantastic technology, and that is why we are investing millions in vital research into the safety and setting the legislation to ensure we gain the full benefits that this technology promises.”

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The buses, designed by engineers at Fusion Processing, work using ground-breaking new technologies; intuitive sensors and a CAVstar control system. These functionalities mean the buses can drive on pre-programmed routes without the need for a safety driver.

The CAVstar system uses complex processors to run proprietary algorithms, working in conjunction with sensory radars, ultrasonics, and optical cameras to provide a full 360° situational awareness. This technology allows the bus to analyse and understand its environment, anticipate the movement of other vehicles or pedestrians, plot a safe course, and generate the necessary inputs to the steering, braking, and throttle.

The vehicle’s intuitive features allow autonomous controls to run on SAE Level 4, this means that the driverless technology can intervene appropriately if things go wrong or if there is a system failure. The project, named CAVForth, will be part-funded by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) in partnership with Stagecoach and is estimated to cost around £6.1m. 

If the on-road trials prove successful, the proposed CAVForth pilot will see five autonomous buses operating a 14-mile route across Forth Road Bridge between Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park Train and Tram interchange. The buses will be capable of carrying up to 36 passengers, with a capacity of over 10,000 passengers each week. 

The switch to driverless technology is likely to raise some controversy as building trust in automated buses will take time. In a survey of 500 members of the public, one of their main recommendations was to ensure that autonomous services still have a member of staff on board.

The trial is set to be a landmark demonstration of future technologies. By explaining and exhibiting the successful operation of a driverless service, the project will help to build trust in these future technologies. 

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 today. 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.”

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