routeone attends the media demonstration of technology that could be driving the coach and bus industry sooner than you may think
Two of the UK bus industry’s major players have joined forces in a ground-breaking project with one of the country’s leading experts in intelligent sensing and control systems for autonomous vehicles.
Demonstrated to the media on Monday (18 March) the project sees Stagecoach partner with Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and Fusion Processing to design and develop an autonomous single-deck bus.
A UK first
A development ADL Enviro200 is being trialled at Stagecoach Manchester’s Sharston depot in technical trials away from public roads. It is the UK’s first full-size autonomous bus.
The trial includes the bus being used in autonomous mode within the depot environment, to carry out movements such as parking and moving into the bus wash.
Although the demonstration, attended by the Chief Executives from the three partners, was limited to a short rectangular course that took the 11.5m bus at walking pace through the bus wash via four right-hand turns on full lock, it did show that the vehicle could be piloted autonomously with considerable accuracy and consistency.
The driver, arms folded for the demonstration, selects the desired section of route on a dash-mounted tablet, controls the doors and handbrake and then leaves the rest to systems on board the vehicle.
How it works
The CAVstar control and sensing system was utilised successfully in the UK’s largest public trial of autonomous vehicles to date, in Greenwich last year, and several other projects.
The system uses multiple sensor types including radar, LIDAR, optical cameras and ultrasound, along with satellite navigation to detect and avoid objects, in all weathers, day and night, and plan an optimum path for the vehicle.
The sensors combine to build a picture of the vehicle’s surroundings. The use of artificial intelligence enables the vehicle to take account of the swept area of the bus as it positioned for entry and exit of the bus wash, while driving through with pin-point accuracy.
The technology can also be used to help improve the safety of road users in manually driven vehicles. For example, the sensor system on the vehicle can be used to aid the driver by warning of cyclists or pedestrians that may be in the blind spot or arrive unexpectedly close to the vehicle.
Forth Bridge service
The trial taking place at Sharston follows the announcement last year that Fusion Processing is to lead the CAVForth consortium to develop and run an autonomous bus service over the Forth Bridge to Edinburgh.
Following a competitive bid for a £4.35m share of the Government’s £25m Innovate UK fund, the consortium includes Stagecoach, ADL, Transport for Scotland, ESP Group, Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Napier University.
Due to get underway in 2020, a fleet of five autonomous Enviro200s like the development vehicle will operate – carrying passengers – on a 14-mile route from Fife to Edinburgh Park Train and Tram interchange. With buses every 20 minutes this could provide an estimated 10,000 weekly journeys and support the case for rolling out similar services across the UK.
The vehicles in both trials will be used autonomously to Level 4 standard, which means that a safety driver must remain on board in line with UK regulations.
A partnership
Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths says: “Stagecoach was the original transport disruptor, trying new things and breaking new ground, and that has never changed. This is an exciting project to trial autonomous technology on a full-sized bus for the first time in the UK.
“Our employees are the beating heart of our business and I believe that will remain the case, but the world is changing fast, particularly where new technology is involved, and it’s our job to lead the way in looking at ways to continually progress and improve our operations.”
Jim Hutchinson, CEO of Fusion Processing Ltd says: “Our CAVstar sensor and control system has now been successfully applied to vehicles ranging in size from two-seater electric vehicles right up to a 12m, 43-seater bus. Today offers a glimpse of how future bus depots can be automated for improved safety and efficiency.
“Our driver-assistance systems such as CycleEye already offer improved operational safety for buses and HGVs, and we anticipate further new ADAS products as spin offs from the AV bus project.
“Beyond this trial we look forward to continue our collaboration with Stagecoach and Alexander Dennis delivering the world’s first large scale autonomous bus service in Edinburgh in 2020.”
Colin Robertson, ADL Chief Executive, adds: “Alexander Dennis is at the forefront of innovation in the bus industry. This trial allows us to evaluate potential benefits of autonomous technology in a real-world scenario, and feeds into our extensive work to further improve the safety of buses with the help of state-of-the-art technology.”
