The Japan News/ ANN
TOKYO: East Japan Railway Co (JR East) will start operating a self-driving bus service today on an exclusive road built on the site of a former rail track of its Kesennuma Line in a coastal area in Miyagi Prefecture.
The bus can reach a maximum speed of 60 kph, an unprecedented feature involving a large autonomous bus in Japan. It is attracting keen attention as an alternative means of transportation as railway operators in local areas are financially struggling due to falling passenger numbers.
“Measures that are in line with changes of the times are important,” JR East executive vice-president Katsumi Ise said at an event in the Miyagi city of Tome last Wednesday to unveil the self-driving bus to media, underlining the significance of introducing exclusive roads for buses and self-driving technology to them to maintain means of transportation in local areas.
After the Kesennuma Line was damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, JR East decided to introduce the so-called bus rapid transit system, in which rail tracks are converted to specialised roads for buses. — The Japan News/ ANN
