In less than a week, five ‘driverless’ buses will start operating between Fife and the Edinburgh Park Transport Interchange.
Stagecoach is launching its autonomous bus fleet on Monday May 15.
With the go ahead date looming, some people are worried about what could go wrong.
Some customers worry they will no longer be able to take a standard bus.
Others fear that a rise of autonomous – better knows as ‘driverless’ – buses will take away bus drivers’ jobs.
Fife ‘driverless’ buses: your questions answered
Will you only be able to get to Edinburgh on a ‘driverless’ bus?
The simple answer is no.
Stagecoach has confirmed that, for now, there are only five buses in the autonomous fleet. The company has “no plans” to change their full fleet to autonomous vehicles.
They aren’t replacing a previous route either – it’s new, and in addition to the service they were already running in the Kingdom.
So you won’t have to take a “driverless” bus in Fife to get over the bridge if you don’t want to.
What about bus drivers’ jobs?
The “majority” of Fife bus drivers are worried about what will happen to their jobs.
That’s according to Dougie Maguire. He is trade union Unite’s regional co-ordinating officer.
Dougie said that asking bus drivers to get on board with the new buses is like “asking turkeys to vote for Christmas.”
“Do they want to be replaced with an automatic pilot? I don’t think so.”
The autonomous buses in Fife will be in addition to the current Stagecoach service. That means no jobs were lost to get this fleet on the roads. That doesn’t mean, however, drivers don’t have concerns for the future.
“It’s definitely a worry for drivers,” Dougie continued.
“We want to make sure that new technology doesn’t mean less jobs for workers, and I don’t see how that’s possible, by the very nature of this exercise and they’re talking about a ‘driverless’ bus.
“Nobody wants to stand in the way of progress, but we do need to make sure that […] there are enough jobs to have a living.
“The majority of drivers are wondering whether in ten or fifteen years’ time if there will still be a job left for them.”
And it’s safe to say that Dougie would prefer to get on a bus that isn’t automated.
“I personally would be nervous [to get on one],” he said.
“The majority of drivers don’t have to worry about what they’re doing, it’s what other drivers are doing.
“So what happens when something goes wrong?”
What if something goes wrong on the autonomous bus?
Many people are asking the same question as Dougie.
The new buses have been automated to drive by themselves with a computer, without needing help from a driver.
But just in case anything goes wrong, there will be a safety driver on board who can take over the system whenever needed.
This ‘bus captain’ will also be there to speak to customers and handle tickets, but Stagecoach says the captain will also be a trainer driver who could swap with the safety driver during their shift.
Stagecoach says the buses are as safe as – if not safer – than their standard buses.
On the company’s website, it states: “With the ability to see 360°, react faster and see further in bad weather, all while being risk averse and not getting tired or distracted, the technology is designed to be safer than even the most experienced human drivers.”
Conversation