A research team at the University of Tokyo began testing a Level 4 autonomous driving bus on public roads for the first time on Tuesday. Levels of automation are measured between 1 to 5, with Level 1 referring to technologies that assist a driver, such as adaptive cruise control, while Level 5 is complete automation. As part of their research, the team has been testing a Level 2 bus -- partially automated driving -- on the route that connects the university's Kashiwa campus to its nearest station, the Kashiwanoha-campus station, since the end of 2019. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

A SoftBank Group affiliate has teamed up with an Estonian startup in a bid to accelerate Japan's efforts to mobilize self-driving buses in 50 locations by 2025. Tokyo-based Boldly plans to have self-driving buses operating in eight new areas in Japan this fiscal year to cater to rapidly aging communities. The diminutive, eight-seater driverless transporters will be manufactured by Estonia-based Auve Tech, Boldly said in a statement. The SoftBank-owned startup is also in discussion with government officials on potential rule changes and a budget hike for next-generation public transportation systems in the country with the world's oldest population, according to Boldly CEO Yuki Saji. The first of Auve's buses, branded MiCa, is expected to start commercial services this summer after seeking regulatory approval.

A self-driving bus stops near Cheonggye Stream in Seoul's central district of Jongno. A slick and shiny mini bus moved smoothly toward the Cheonggye Plaza bus stop near Gwanghwamun Station, central Seoul. Four passengers, including this reporter, got on board. The vehicle with seven passenger seats had an airy, open feel, with an impressive panoramic glass roof and full-size windows on four sides. There was someone sitting in the driver's seat, but his hands never touched the steering wheel even as the bus started moving.

Autonomous cars, commonly known as self-driving cars, aren't new in Japan -- nor the automotive industry. But whilst the rest of the developed world is pushing for autonomous vehicles largely for reasons of safety and convenience for people in general, Japan's a little different. It's to compensate for its aging population. The Japanese ageing population is in need of transportation -- but the country is plagued by persistent labor shortages. "In the cargo and transport sectors, drivers have become older and the shortage of human resources has become serious," a recent METI report said.

The reality of self-driving cars and autonomous public transport is almost upon us. In Karlsruhe, three autonomous buses have been running since April. The buses don't run specific routes, rather, they can be ordered to certain places. Back in April, the city of Karlsruhe welcomed Vera, Ella and Anna to its streets. These are the names of three autonomous e-buses, which are part of a project funded by the Ministry for Transport.

Is the age of driverless vehicles upon us? Two self-driving buses hit the road in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The vehicles use homegrown technology.

China's internet giant Baidu has started mass producing the country's first autonomous minibus as the company prepares to roll them out in tourist spots and airports. The eight-seater Apolong, about one-third of the size of a normal bus, has no steering wheel, driver's seat, accelerator or brake, Baidu announced on Wednesday at its annual developers' conference in Beijing. The driverless bus was co-developed by Baidu and Chinese commercial vehicle maker King Long and is powered by Apollo's autonomous driving operating system, Apollo 3.0. China's internet giant Baidu has started mass producing the country's first autonomous minibus as the company prepares to roll them out in tourist spots and airports Robin Li, CEO of search giant Baidu, speaks in front of an image of the Apolong, China's first L4 fully autonomous bus, during the Baidu Create 2018 held in Beijing on Wednesday The autonomous bus can complete obstacle avoidance, swerving and automatic transshipment without any human intervention, according to Xinhua News. Video footage released by Baidu - often referred to as China's Google - shows the company's massive manufacturing facility in Xiamen, in south-east China's Fujian province.

Baidu has started mass-producing its Level 4 autonomous mini-buses with the intention of deploying them not just in China, but also in other countries. The Chinese tech giant has teamed up with Softbank subsidiary SB Drive to launch a self-driving mini-bus service in Japan next year. They're bringing 10 "Apolong" buses to Tokyo and other Japanese cities in early 2019 after the vehicles make their debut in select Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Pingtan and Wuhan. The 14-seater buses will initially pick up passengers in tourist areas, parks, industrial campuses, airports and other geo-fenced locations. Baidu has also announced during its annual AI developer conference that it has already manufactured 100 Apolong vehicles with help from Chinese bus manufacturer King Long.

A subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp. and a Japan unit of China's internet search giant Baidu Inc. said Wednesday they have tied up to tap into the Japanese self-driving bus market. Under the agreement, 10 electric minibuses, called Apolong, developed by Baidu and China's Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., will be shipped to Japan by early next year. The Softbank subsidiary, SB Drive Corp., said they aim to introduce the buses on Japanese public roads and plan to carry out technology demonstration experiments in the current fiscal year ending next March. SB Drive, set up in April 2016, has already been testing self-driving buses in Japan. The Japanese company last year conducted government-sponsored tests in Okinawa.

According to a press statement [insert link] published by the university, the four-year project will draw on a fleet of autonomous vehicles of sizes ranging from four to 12 places, and aims gather data reflecting the economic, logistic, and social implications of a self-driving network. Run in collaboration with local authorities and the Geneva public transport services (TPG), the trial hopes to collect information around three major axes: "autonomous driving" (the security and adaptability of vehicles), "optimization of itineraries" (the user experience), and "in- and out-of-vehicle services" (catering to reduced mobility passengers, for example). It will be conducted in suburban areas less frequently or conveniently serviced by existing routes. "Autonomous vehicles will not go downtown," said Denis Berdoz, CEO of TPG. Geneva, Switzerland's second-largest city, is particularly suited to such a trial because of the complex traffic situations it offers (a combination of jams, pedestrianized zones and bicycle lanes), as well as the well-mapped and GPS-ready nature of the region. The project has a budget of some €22 million (CHF26.28 million), €16 million of which are funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research financing mechanism. The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.