Autonomous driving bus experiments in sections affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake Miyagi Kesennuma February 14 15:15
On March 14, a demonstration experiment aimed at automatic bus driving on the JR Kesennuma Line in Miyagi Prefecture, which was running on some sections due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, was released to the press. Was.
The JR Kesennuma Line, which was damaged by the tsunami due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, operates on the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit System) system, which runs a bus on a dedicated road in the section of Ishinomaki City from Maeyani Station to Kesennuma Station.
JR East has been conducting a pilot test to run an autonomous bus without passengers on a section of about 5 km since last November in an attempt to reduce the shortage of bus drivers. On the day, the situation was disclosed to the press.
Magnetic markers are embedded on the road at intervals of 2 meters. By detecting the magnetism with a sensor under the vehicle, the bus can run on an accurate route, and the maximum speed can be up to 60 km / h. It was able to raise.
This experiment will be completed in 14 days, but JR aims to continue commercialization.
Mr. Toshimitsu Urakabe, Executive Officer of JR East, said, "I want to create a transportation system that will please the local people, so I would like to work with related companies to improve the technology persistently."