Japan Starts 1st Road Test of Big Fixed-Route Driverless Bus

Tokyo, Jan. 8 (Jiji Press)--The Cabinet Office on Tuesday launched Japan's first demonstration test to run a large fixed-route driverless bus on public roads, aiming to put the service into practical use by 2020. During the test in Okinawa Prefecture through March 7, the bus will carry passengers, travel as fast as the legal speed limit and go through other tests to check whether it can provide services on time in various situations. The bus is mounted with cameras, sensors and satellite-based positioning system equipment. The Cabinet Office will see whether the vehicle can stop at bus stops, travel at 50 kilometers per hour stably and control itself on slopes and curves and in windy places. As the test takes place on public roads, a driver will always be on board. There are three stops on an 18-kilometer round-trip route on national and prefectural roads in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture, and the neighboring city of Tomigusuku. The bus will make six round trips per day when there are test rides, which will become available to the public from Feb. 18. END