KAMISHIHORO, HOKKAIDO – The town of Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, began testing a driverless bus service on Saturday. The test by the Kamishihoro Municipal Government is designed to study technical issues that may arise on roads that traverse hilly and mountainous terrain in the area. "We hope that driverless bus services will be put to practical use and work to help the mobility of residents," Kamishihoro Mayor Mitsugi Takenaka said during a ceremony to mark the occasion. The test made use of a French-made Navya Arma autonomous bus built by SB Drive Corp., a unit of SoftBank Group Corp. Equipped with eight sensors and GPS, the bus ran at a speed of 10 kph near the municipal government office on a 600-meter road that was closed to traffic for the test. Some 120 residents are expected to try the bus during its three-day test run.