Engineering news
Transport operator Stagecoach, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) and technology firm Fusion Processing will develop the single-deck autonomous bus.
The 12m ADL Enviro200 vehicle will be able to operate without a driver in an off-road environment. The driverless technology will also improve safety when driven in manual mode, the developers claimed.
In the short term, operators will only enable autonomous mode in depots, using it for parking and moving into the fuelling stations and bus washes. The companies said switching to self-driving vehicles in depots could help improve safety, efficiency and the use of space.
Legal restrictions mean the vehicle will not be used in autonomous mode in passenger service “for some time”, but the autonomy-enabling sensors could nonetheless improve road safety by alerting drivers to cyclists, pedestrians or other vehicles in blind spots.
Fusion Processing’s CAVstar system uses multiple sensor types including radar, laser, camera and ultrasound. It combines the sensors with satellite navigation to detect and avoid objects, and plan the optimum path.
Autonomous buses carrying passengers will become more common over time if laws allow it, the firms claimed. The government is reviewing laws on self-driving vehicles ahead of 2021, when chancellor Philip Hammond promised driverless cars on the roads.
At first, the autonomous Enviro200 “will deliver real and demonstrable improvement to efficiency and safety in depots, while taking another significant step on our journey to bringing fully autonomous vehicles to market,” said Ken Scott, group engineering director at ADL.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.