The Russian government has issued a detailed plan of legal changes in support of AV testing and the launch of commercial use on public roads, without a safety driver in the cabin. The legislative work on the plan, initiated in mid-2020, was given a powerful boost early this year, the federal ministry of transportation stated in a press release back in March. The program "will set the regulatory conditions for inclusion of autonomous vehicles into the transportation system in the period from 2021 to 2024" in a way that "ensures safety of road users and compliance with the existing norms and rules". The ministry has had consultations with technological companies Yandex and Sber, truckmakers Gaz and Kamaz and oil company Gazprom Neft, all major benefactors of the legal changes. These companies, as well as a number of smaller AV developers and potential consumers, have often claimed to be ready for the wider use of AVs when legislation allows.

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.