Self-driving bus demonstration experiment for local transportation Saitama September 3, 17:22
In order to explore the possibility of an autonomous bus as a means of transportation in the region, a demonstration experiment was conducted in Saitama City to go around the city route.
This experiment was conducted in Saitama City by Saitama High Speed Rail in cooperation with Gunma University.
In the experiment, a 36-passenger self-driving bus ran approximately 4.5 kilometers around Urawa Misono Station.
In this area, securing transportation means to connect railway stations with Saitama Stadium and large commercial facilities is an issue.
The self-driving bus uses GPS sensors attached to the roof to determine the position and automatically controls the steering wheel, accelerator and brake.
This time, in consideration of safety, the crew sat in the driver's seat and operated immediately so that it could be switched to manual.
Deputy Director Takeki Ogitsu of Gunma University Next-Generation Mobility Society Implementation Research Center, which is studying autonomous driving, said, “I want to continue the experiment and promote understanding to the residents about safety.”
Akira Kurihara, General Manager of Business Planning, Saitama High Speed Rail, said, “I want to further investigate whether it can be introduced as a means of transportation.”
This experiment will run until the 6th of this month.