Automated Bus Service: Scottish Bus Users Pre-Trial Data, 2021

Downey, Lucy Tamsin (2025). Automated Bus Service: Scottish Bus Users Pre-Trial Data, 2021. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-857810

This project will use full size, 12m, single deck buses operating at Level 4 autonomy, providing a pilot bus service, in all weathers, using a 14 mile each way route between Fife and Edinburgh including crossing the Forth Road Bridge.

This exciting and challenging project will provide a world leading demonstration of UK autonomous vehicle capability at a UNESCO heritage site with resultant global interest, and help UK companies introduce AV tech to their world-wide products and services.

The project is led by UK technology company Fusion Processing Ltd and comprises leading UK organisations active in the transport sector:

Fusion Processing Ltd: Autonomous vehicle technology

Alexander Dennis: Vehicles Ltd:

Stagecoach Group plc - Bus Service Operator and Societal Research

Transport Scotland: National transport agency

Napier University: Measurement of wider society viewpoint

Bristol Robotics Laboratory: Vehicle simulation, validation, safety,
and compliance

Data description (abstract)

This study aimed to comprehensively measure the views of bus passengers towards a pilot automated bus service operating on a route running from Fife, across the Forth Road Bridge into Edinburgh.

The quantitative survey data was used to help us understand how Scottish residents feel about emerging bus automation technology. In addition to gathering respondents sociodemographic data, they were asked questions about their perceptions towards technology, vehicle automation, automated buses and the design of future bus services.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Downey Lucy Tamsin	Edinburgh Napier University	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0926-0066

Sponsors:

Innovate UK

Grant reference:

105089

Topic classification:

Science and technology
Transport and travel
Psychology

Keywords:

AUTOMATION, PUBLIC TRANSPORT, BUSES, SOCIAL ATTITUDES, ATTITUDES

Project title:

Project CAV Forth: An Autonomous Bus Service From Park & Ride Across Forth Bridge to Edinburgh Park Train & Tram Interchange

Alternative title:

Project CAV Forth

Grant holders:

Fusion Processing LTD

Project dates:

From	To
1 March 2019	31 August 2023

Date published:

30 Apr 2025 12:57

Last modified:

30 Apr 2025 12:58

Coverage and Methodology

Collection period:

Date from:	Date to:
1 October 2021	31 December 2021

Geographical area:

Scotland

Country:

United Kingdom

Spatial unit:

Administrative > Council Areas

Data collection method:

The questionnaire was administered through the Qualtrics online platform and disseminated to the Scottish passenger mailing list of the bus operator, Stagecoach. The Scottish Stagecoach mailing list is made of customers who ‘opted in’ while buying tickets online or using on-board Wi-Fi. The list only included 'engaged' customers (i.e. those who have opened emails from Stagecoach in the past 12 months). The survey was restricted to Scottish residents aged 18 years or over. In order for us to comply with UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), potential survey participants were provided with a privacy notice detailing what we will do with the survey data. Informed consent was required before the respondent could participate in the study. As an incentive to complete the online questionnaire each respondent was offered an entry into a prize draw with an opportunity to win £100 worth of Amazon vouchers.
The Scottish Government publishes annual Scottish Transport Statistics (STS) which provide sociodemographic information on Scottish bus users, defined as those who reported using the bus on the day prior to being interviewed as part of the Scottish Household Survey. Data from 2019 was selected for the comparison as the 2020-21 dataset would be influenced by the significant disruptions to travel patterns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey sample was found to be representative of STS bus users in terms of age, gender, and concessionary travel pass ownership.

Observation unit:

Individual

Kind of data:

Numeric

Type of data:

Other surveys, UK survey data

Resource language:

English

Access and Administration

Data sourcing, processing and preparation:

Identifying information, such as open text responses and partial postcodes, was removed from the dataset. Prior to deletion, postcode data was used to create two new variables: one for local authority areas (Variable name=xLocalAuthority) and another for the Scottish Government's 2-fold Urban-Rural classification (xRural), using the Scottish Government postcode lookup databases.

Rights owners:

Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Fonzone Achille	Edinburgh Napier University	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8159-7731

Contact:

Name	Email	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Downey, Lucy Tamsin	l.downey@napier.ac.uk	Edinburgh Napier University	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0926-0066
Fonzone, Achille	a.fonzone@napier.ac.uk	Edinburgh Napier University	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8159-7731

Notes on access:

The Data Collection is available for download to users registered with the UK Data Service. All requests are subject to the permission of the data owner or his/her nominee. Please email the contact person for this data collection to request permission to access the data, explaining your reason for wanting access to the data, then contact our Access Helpdesk.

Publisher:

UK Data Service

Last modified:

30 Apr 2025 12:58