Why are driverless buses being tested and what routes are planned?

Numbers match the citations in the article. A working link isn't proof that a page supports a claim; check the quoted passage and date.

1. 1

   CAVForth (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Sep 29, 2026Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “CAVForth (Connected Autonomous Vehicles) is a pilot scheme based in eastern Scotland to develop passenger-carrying autonomous bus services in the United Kingdom. The scheme's first bus route, the AB1 park and ride service, was operated by Stagecoach South Scotland at a 20-minute frequency between Edinburgh Park and the Ferrytoll Park and Ride site via the Forth Road Bridge. Described by the UK government as being the first full-size public autonomous bus service in the world, the service, which commenced public operations on 15 May 2023 (and has now ceased operations as of 14 February 2025) uses a fleet of five Alexander Dennis Enviro200AV diesel single-deck buses built to SAE Level 4 requirements, meaning a driver is present in the bus at all times but does not need to control the bus in regular service.”

2. 2

   A cross-country comparison of user experience of public autonomous transport.

   European transport research review (Bellone et al.)Published Mar 8, 2021Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “To have sufficient diversity in the data, the pilot projects were implemented in several cities in the Baltic Sea Area. The data analysed in this paper specifically refer to the cities of Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), Kongsberg (Norway), and Gdańsk (Poland). Across all cities, passengers provided remarkably positive feedback regarding personal security and safety onboard. The overall feedback, which was very positive in general, showed statistically significant differences across the groups of cities (Kongsberg, Helsinki, Tallinn and Gdansk), partially explicable by the differences in the route design. In addition, across all cities and feedback topics, males gave a lower score compared to females. The overall rating suggests that there is a demand for future last-mile automated services that could be integrated with the MaaS concept, although demand changes according to socio-economic and location-based conditions across different countries.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12544-021-00477-3.”

3. 3

   Understanding Autonomous Shuttle Adoption Intention: Predictive Power of Pre-Trial Perceptions and Attitudes.

   Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) (Golbabaei et al.)Published Nov 26, 2022Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “South East Queensland, Australia, was selected as the testbed. In this case study, relationships between perceptions, attitudes, and usage intention were examined by employing a partial least squares structural equation modeling method. The results support the basic technology acceptance model casual relationships that correspond with previous studies. Although the direct effects of perceived relative advantages and perceived service quality on usage intention are not significant, they could still affect usage intention indirectly through the attitude factor. Conversely, perceived risks are shown to have no association with perceived usefulness but can negatively impact travelers' attitudes and usage intention toward autonomous shuttle buses. The research findings provide implications to assist policymakers, transport planners, and engineers in their policy decisions and system plans as well as achieving higher public acknowledgment and wider uptake of autonomous demand-responsive transport technology solutions.”

4. 4

   Vehicular automation (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 11, 2026Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “Vehicular automation is using technology to assist or replace the operator of a vehicle such as a car, truck, aircraft, rocket, military vehicle, or boat. Assisted vehicles are semi-autonomous, whereas vehicles that can travel without a human operator are autonomous. The degree of autonomy may be subject to various constraints such as conditions. Autonomy is enabled by advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) of varying capacity. Related technology includes advanced software, maps, vehicle changes, and outside vehicle support. The benefits of viewing automated driving from a sociotechnical systems perspective has been discussed. Autonomy presents varying issues for road, air, and marine travel. Roads present the most significant complexity given the unpredictability of the driving environment, including diverse road designs, driving conditions, traffic, obstacles, and geographical/cultural differences. Autonomy implies that the vehicle is responsible for all perception, monitoring, and control functions.”

5. 5

   Social Perception of Autonomous Mobility: A Survey on Public Transport Pilots in Switzerland.

   Scientific data (Wicki et al.)Published Jan 31, 2026Checked Oct 12, 2026

   “This data descriptor presents survey data on the social perception of autonomous vehicles (AVs) collected during pilot trials in two Swiss cantons, Schaffhausen and Valais-Wallis. The surveys aimed to capture public acceptance and concerns regarding AVs, focusing on changes in perception before and after the trials. Data was gathered from representative samples in three municipalities per canton, using longitudinal panel surveys in Schaffhausen and a cross-sectional survey in Valais. Possible uses include analyses of public awareness and acceptance of AVs post-trial and investigating regional differences in perceived accessibility and benefits. This dataset offers valuable insights for researchers interested in the integration of AVs into public transport systems. The data enables further analysis and comparison with other regions and contexts.”