Passenger numbers on the UK’s first autonomous buses – a £6m venture over the Firth of Forth – ‘did not meet expectations’

The UK’s first driverless bus service, originally heralded as a breakthrough of global significance, is being withdrawn from service because too few passengers used it.

The autonomous buses, operated by Stagecoach, have been running between Fife and Edinburgh along a 14-mile route over the Forth road bridge since May 2023 to relieve the heavy congestion which can bring traffic to a standstill.