Stagecoach will be carrying out on-road testing of its self-driving bus from today in preparation for passengers stepping aboard later this summer.

Sam Greet, regional director of the company in Scotland, described it as a “hugely exciting project”.

He said: “This is a major step forward in our journey to fully launch the UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus service and will provide easy access to a brand-new bus route in the heart of Scotland.”

In the CAVForth pilot scheme, five single-deck autonomous buses will operate across different parts of Scotland, including the Forth Road Bridge between Ferrytoll Park and Ride in Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram interchange…

This summer each bus will have an experienced driver monitoring the system alongside a bus captain who will move around the vehicle and talk to customers about the service