Self-driving bus goes for a test ride in Osaka

OSAKA – Osaka City Bus Corp. took media representatives for a test ride on a self-driving bus Monday. The affiliate of subway operator Osaka Metro Co. aims to start autonomous bus services in fiscal 2020, which starts April 1, in the city's waterfront area. A French-made Navya Arma autonomous bus was used in the test. When manual driving is necessary, the operator would have to use a controller because the Arma has no steering wheel. A staff member would push an emergency brake button when the vehicle meets an obstacle and needs to stop.