An autonomous Level 4 bus from Kajima Corp. and other companies drives in Tokyo’s Ota Ward.
17:32 JST, July 31, 2024
Major construction company Kajima Corp. has announced that it will begin offering passenger transportation in August using a bus that can drive at Level 4 autonomy, meaning that it can operate without a human being under certain conditions.
The bus, which will operate within a business complex near Haneda Airport, will be operated by Kajima in partnership with other companies, including SoftBank subsidiary Boldly Inc.
The bus will travel at speeds of up to 12 km/h (7.5 mph) along an 800-meter (2,625-foot) loop of road at the Haneda Innovation City complex in Ota Ward, Tokyo. For now, there will be a staff member on board the bus, which can carry 11 passengers and can switch to manual control in some situations. The bus’s operation will be monitored from a base in Ibaraki Prefecture.
With bus companies across the country facing a severe and growing shortage of drivers, hopes are high that the knowledge gained from this initiative will be used in the future. Kajima and Boldly said they also plan to set up service on a route connecting the complex to Haneda Airport.
