Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to require a member of staff to be present on driverless buses.

The Government expects matters such as this to be considered in the Regulatory Review announced as part of the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge. The Law Commission’s current automated vehicle project will look at the safe deployment of automated vehicle mobility services in the UK.

Any decision will be informed by these reviews as well as real-world experiences such as the CAV Forth automated bus pilot service in Scotland. As set out in the Code of Practice, the trialling of any level of automated vehicle technology on the UK’s public roads is possible, if the trial is conducted in line with UK law. This includes having:

• a driver, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able and willing to resume control of the vehicle;
• a roadworthy vehicle; and
• appropriate insurance in place.