{"id":167354,"date":"2024-11-29T13:14:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T04:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=167354&#038;lang=en"},"modified":"2024-11-29T13:14:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T04:14:01","slug":"driverless-bus-testing-expands-in-kitakyushu","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/news\/driverless-bus-testing-expands-in-kitakyushu\/","title":{"rendered":"Driverless Bus Testing Expands in Kitakyushu Between Airport and JR Station"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second year of autonomous bus trials has begun between Kitakyushu Airport and JR Kusami Station, addressing driver shortages in the bus industry. Operated by the Nishitetsu Group, the buses use Level 2 automation, with a licensed driver present to monitor and intervene if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year\u2019s tests include new capabilities, such as stopping at bus stops and avoiding parked vehicles. The trials aim to refine technology that could eventually lead to fully autonomous Level 4 buses. Even at Level 2, automation reduces the workload on drivers, potentially enabling more seniors to work in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nishitetsu plans to introduce the tested technology on regular routes as early as next fiscal year. To engage the local community, free rides for passengers are part of the trial, encouraging public understanding and feedback. <\/span><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nishitetsu.co.jp\/ja\/news\/news20241108\/main\/0\/link\/24_092.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nishitetsu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/ <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kbc.co.jp\/news\/article.php?id=14113675&amp;ymd=2024-11-28\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KBC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-167358\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fnn_kirakyushu-auto-drive-bus_2024_cl.jpg?resize=1400%2C788&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Driverless Bus Testing Expands in Kitakyushu Between Airport and JR Station\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fnn_kirakyushu-auto-drive-bus_2024_cl.jpg?w=1400&amp;ssl=1 1400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fnn_kirakyushu-auto-drive-bus_2024_cl.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fnn_kirakyushu-auto-drive-bus_2024_cl.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fnn_kirakyushu-auto-drive-bus_2024_cl.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay informed with the latest Fukuoka &amp; Kyushu news and events in English. Sign up for our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free weekly newsletter <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">today and never miss a beat. Opt out anytime, your privacy is our priority. Get the inside scoop with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summaries based on public content, errors may occur during translation. Images credited independently. Send feedback using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this <\/span><b>form<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The second year of autonomous bus trials has begun between Kitakyushu Airport and JR Kusami Station, addressing driver shortages in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29305,"featured_media":167362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-167354","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-kitakyushu","news-category-general","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/167354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}