Glasgow showcases autonomous vehicles

Europe’s first full sized self driving bus is set to be demonstrated in Glasgow today ahead of a trial of autonomous public transport vehicles over the Forth Road Bridge next year.


The bus will be demonstrated at the CAV Scotland summit. Also on display at the show will be a shuttle pod called the Navya Autonom and the Kar-Go autonomous electric delivery vehicle (pictured).

Next year’s autonomous bus trial over the Forth Road Bridge will serve a new route operated by Stagecoach, running between the Ferrytoll park and ride site in Fife and Edinburgh Park’s transport interchange. The bus has been manufactured by Alexander Dennis and uses technology installed by Fusion Processing.

On a smaller scale, the Kar-Go autonomous delivery vehicle has been developed by the Academy of Robotics to navigate highways without road markings.

Also on display is the Navya Autonom shuttle, designed for first and last mile travel and can accommodate 15 people. It uses Lidar sensors, cameras and advanced navigation technology, which are merged together and interpreted by ‘deep learning’ programs.

More than 130 of the shuttles have been sold and they operate in 21 countries including France, Germany and Switzerland.

Company area manager Jean-Baptiste Latil d’Albertas told TP Weekly News that the concept of autonomous travel is fast becoming a reality.

“We are now in a phase where lots of people are taking this very seriously,” he said, adding that shared mobility solutions can be of particular benefit to rural and suburban areas and help to reduce road casualties.