Operators would rather talk about the fact they desperately need up to 30 drivers daily "to sit and steer" the buses currently abandoned by a string of retirements since COVID-19 that has crippled the region's transport and travel services.

'It will be very interesting to have a look at it [automated shuttle bus]. It would be beneficial for certain runs such as from airport into towns, from the town centre to Orana Mall and a certain type of dedicated small routes," Michael Langley, Langley's Coaches fleet manager said.

Mr Langley spoke to the Daily Liberal on the driverless shuttle bus trial currently running in Armidale and Coffs Harbour with the regional roads and transport minister Sam Farraway calling on local and international technology experts to partner with bus manufacturers and transport operators to take part in the trial.

The BusBiz company and Dubbo Bus Lines were also contacted for comment.

Mr Farraway said the state government is embarking on an Australian first transport strategy called Connected and Automated Vehicle bus shuttle services trial that included big regional centres such as Dubbo.

But Mr Langley said the trial which he has seen at Cudal "still needs a bit of work" and he's unsure whether it would work in Dubbo "especially the conditions of our atrocious roads".

"It's worth a trial, but you should see the damage on our buses so I don't know how an automated bus would work...I know they go slow, but I worry about the condition of our roads with a bus without a driver."

He is also concerned that buses without a human driver would not only put people out of jobs but also pose some issues to the welfare of mostly older public transport users.

"You get an older lady jumping on the bus or an older man unsure where they'd go. Having a driver [assuring them] saying it's the right bus or I'll drop you there. An automated bus just gonna blink and flashes light and walk away," Mr Langley said.

"But our day-to-day bus services need drivers...There is a huge shortage of drivers...That's our biggest thing, between us bus companies we worked out together we need up to 30 extra drivers daily to run our regular bus and coach services."

The shortage of drivers was mainly due to a large number of retirement since the pandemic while young potential bus drivers are going on other jobs due to the high cost of obtaining a license and other regulatory compliances.

"It's partly because it is too expensive for a young 20-year-old to say 'I'm gonna be a bus driver' then go and get a license.

"We've figured out they need at least $3,113 for a 20-year-old to be a qualified bus driver so who's going to do that?"

Expressions of interest are now open which has a $5 million funding that will see the CAV systems developed and tested on passenger-carrying buses.

In the Coffs Harbour Busbot trial, it has been running driverless shuttle services around the town picking up public transport users at designated bus stops, Mr Farraway said.

CAV technology is being trialed to prepare the state's road network, local industry and the public for the rollout of driverless shuttle buses, minister for customer service and digital government Victor Dominello said.

"We're putting NSW in the front seat...globally these technologies are advancing rapidly and already appearing in vehicles on the market today.

"Vehicle connectivity and automation are game-changing technological innovations with the potential to sustainably transform the future mobility of people and goods."

At the Future Mobility Testing and Research Centre at Cudal, Mr Farraway said the progress has seen success in partnerships with local universities, and its "a big picture thinking" initiative to put NSW "one step ahead" with emerging technologies.

The trial will look at how driverless shuttle buses are performing on a local road network, how passengers find them as a means of public transport and the automation of freight services.

"It will be nice to be involved in this trial but we also have to look at how we can get new drivers. Even while running driverless trial buses, we still need a bum to sit and steer in the trial bus seat," Mr Langley said.

"Every day we are looking for drivers. Some days we had to knock back jobs or suspend runs...The trial is really well and good but we've got no people to do that right now.

"We have enough trouble keeping school buses on the run."