Society

Autonomous bus test starts at Tochigi Prefecture roadside rest area

Sep 04 (Japan Times) - A test of self-driving bus services organized by the transport ministry kicked off at a michi no eki roadside rest area in Tochigi Prefecture on Saturday.

The ministry hopes to launch the autonomous bus services in fiscal 2020, aiming to provide a means of transportation for elderly people living in hilly and mountainous areas with dwindling populations.

On Saturday, a ceremony to mark the launch of the test and a test-ride event were held in the city of Tochigi. Among the participants was transport minister Keiichi Ishii.

According to the ministry, 80 percent of michi no eki rest areas in Japan are in hilly and mountainous areas. Of them, 40 percent are located within about 1 km of municipal government offices or medical institutions.

The ministry hopes that self-driving public transport services will aid elderly people facing difficulties going to hospitals or for shopping due to such reasons as having given up driving because of their age or the scrapping of bus services.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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