What is Tobetsu Town?

The station square in front of the south exit of JR Tobetsu Station became the starting and ending point for the demonstration operation.

Tobetsu Town, Ishikari District, Hokkaido (hereinafter referred to as Tobetsu Town) is located in the center of Hokkaido in the "Sapporo area", about 40 minutes by car north from the center of Sapporo City. It has an area of 422.86 square kilometers and a population of 15,147 (as of October​ ​1, 2024), and is an area where rice, wheat, soybeans, flowers, and other crops are cultivated.

The town's atmosphere is similar to that of Sweden, so it is also said to be a town where a Nordic breeze blows. Tobetsu has a sister city agreement with the Swedish city of Leksand, and the Swedish-themed residential area "Sweden Hills" is the symbol of Tobetsu. Tobetsu was also developed by the Date clan of the Sendai domain, so there are places in the city where you can still feel the remnants of that. Furthermore, Tobetsu's mascot "Tobenosuke," which reflects the image of the Date clan, is also popular.

Macnica conducted a demonstration operation of autonomous driving EV bus at JR Tobetsu Station and its surrounding area for 16 days from October​ ​19 to November​ ​3, 2024.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the customers who took test drives of the autonomous driving EV bus during the event, as well as all the related parties, and to the local community who cooperated and gave consideration to the vehicle's operation on public roads, for their valuable opinions and support.

This column reports on the details of the demonstration operation.

Background to the demonstration project

The vehicle used in the demonstration operation, "ARMA"

Tobetsu Town aims to realize sustainable public transportation integrated with urban development. In March​ ​2023, the town formulated the "Tobetsu Town Regional Public Transportation Plan (Master Plan)" and established the "Tobetsu Town Regional Public Transportation Convenience Improvement Implementation Plan" as its action plan, focusing on improving the convenience and ensuring the sustainability of the regional public transportation network.

From August​ ​9 to September​ ​8, 2024, a demonstration run of an autonomous driving electric bus was conducted as part of the "Royce Town Station Area Vibrancy Creation Project."

A demonstration run of an autonomous driving electric bus was also conducted at JR Royce Town Station (opening in 2022) from August to September.

Tobetsu Town has been working hard to improve the convenience of public transportation, and as part of this effort, they will be conducting a 16-day demonstration run of an autonomous driving EV bus in an urban area with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic to verify the feasibility of introducing an autonomous driving EV bus as public transportation.

Overview of the demonstration operation

ARMA departing from JR Tobetsu Station

The demonstration operation was carried out at JR Tobetsu Station and the surrounding area. 

<overview>
schedule: 2024 year 10 month 19 Sunday (Saturday) ~ 11 month 3 Sunday 16 days
Vehicle used: autonomous driving EV bus" ARMA"(Manufactured by Navya Mobility)
Capacity: 15 (During the demonstration operation, 2 Name, Passenger 8 First name 10 (Implemented by name)
autonomous driving level: Level 3 The driver (operator) and security personnel are on board.
Speed: maximum 25km/h (During the demonstration operation 19.8km/h (Implemented at
Size: Total length 4.75m, overall width 2.11m, total height 2.65m
Fare: Free

ARMA has a maximum speed of 25km/h (20km/h or less is recommended in Japan) and can travel autonomously for about 9 hours (about 100km) on a single charge. It does not have a steering wheel, accelerator, or brakes, and is capable of Level 3 autonomous driving only when the driving environment conditions based on the Operational Design Domain (ODD) are met.

"Daishoji-mae" is the first stop after leaving the station.

 In this demonstration run, the vehicle was driven on public roads at an autonomous driving level equivalent to Level 3. Starting and ending at JR Tobetsu Station, the vehicle made a circuit of approximately 3.4 km (7 traffic lights) and stopped at 5 stops in approximately 40 minutes, with 6 trips per day.

<Operation route>
JR Tobetsu Station South Exit → Daishoji Temple → Chamber of Commerce → Tobetsu Gakuen → Suehiro Danchi Entrance → Station Street → JR Tobetsu Station South Exit

 <Timetable> JR Departure and arrival at Tobetsu Station South Exit
No. 1 Flight 09:00 → 09:40
No. 2 Flight 10:20 → 11:00
No. 3 Flight 11:15 → 11:55
No. 4 Flight 13:30 → 14:10
No. 5 Flight 14:35 → 15:15
No. 6 Flight 15:30 → 16:10

During the demonstration run, the vehicle mainly ran in urban areas with relatively heavy traffic.

During the event, ARMA 's location information was displayed on the smartphone app "Tobe Navi," which allows users to check the status and location of Tobetsu Fureai Bus and Tsukigata Tobetsu Line (a route bus operated as an alternative to the partial closure of the JR Sassho Line). When Tobe Navi was started, an icon showing ARMA 's location was displayed, allowing users to find out ARMA 's location in real time, just like the Tobetsu Fureai Bus.

Demonstration operation

Even when starting from the bus stop, the bus was aware that there were no cars approaching from behind before moving off.

The Tobetsu Gakuen-mae bus stop is the farthest from Tobetsu Station.

 The demonstration run will run on a route that starts from the south exit of JR Tobetsu Station and passes through Tobetsu Town's Tobetsu Gakuen. This will be the first time that a route will run through the city in Tobetsu Town. By working with the local government in advance to prune roadside tree branches, the rate of autonomous driving has been increased, enabling smooth operation. 

Additionally, as part of the mobility management program that Tobetsu Town conducts every year for fifth graders in local elementary schools, they conducted an experience ride on an autonomous driving bus, which gave the children an opportunity to become interested in autonomous driving.

When turning left and there were bicycles or pedestrians present, the vehicle would always stop before the crosswalk.

"Signal coordination" was implemented, in which buses obtain information such as the color of traffic lights at traffic lights.

Furthermore, driving tests were also conducted in some sections where autonomous driving EV buses were linked to traffic light information. Information on traffic lights along the route (such as the light color at the time of passing and the expected number of seconds) was obtained by the vehicle, and "traffic light coordination" was carried out through infrastructure coordination, enabling smooth and safe crossing of intersections. This once again highlighted the fact that implementing Level 4 autonomous driving with traffic light coordination is essential for autonomous driving EV buses to operate as social infrastructure.

During the demonstration run, the train ran at a constant speed of just under 20km/h.

Thanks to the understanding and cooperation of local residents, there were no dangerous drivers who tried to overtake ARMA.

Results obtained from the demonstration run

It took about 40 minutes to return to the station square in front of the south exit of Tobetsu Station.

The demonstration run was free and did not require reservations, so many people rode the vehicle. A total of 221 people rode the vehicle, with 34 people riding on Saturday, November​ ​2nd, the highest number during the period. A wide range of customers took part in the test ride, from parents with children to the elderly, were able to experience ARMA.

As this was the third public test drive since the first demonstration experiment in 2023, many townspeople gathered in front of the station and at each bus stop to experience the autonomous driving EV bus and boarded it casually. I think the fact that people enjoyed the so-called short rides shows that autonomous driving EV buses are gradually becoming more popular among the townspeople.

Vehicle operation information and infrastructure information are visualized using Macnica 's remote operation system, "everfleet." This remotely monitors the operation information of autonomous driving EV buses in real time, enabling accurate and safe operation.

Another major achievement was that valuable data could be collected and analyzed from the standpoint of technical and social acceptability, even in an urban area with heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Future prospects

​ARMA departs JR Tobetsu Station again

The demonstration run of the autonomous driving EV bus in Tobetsu Town was conducted to examine the feasibility of introducing autonomous driving EV buses in urban areas.

By operating autonomous driving EV buses in the area around Royce Town Station, in addition to the downtown area based around JR Tobetsu Station, we will be able to improve not only the mobility of residents, but also the mobility of tourists from outside the town and outside Hokkaido. We are confident that the operation of ARMA will promote the town's appeal both within and outside the town, increase the number of visitors, and create a sustainable bustle.

Macnica and Tobetsu Town will continue to work together to explore the possibility of fully introducing autonomous driving EV buses. We will work together to widely publicize the appeal of Tobetsu Town both inside and outside the town, and to create a bustling town.

Inquiry

Macnica supports the realization of smart cities using next-generation mobility, including autonomous driving, and urban industries. If you have any questions or concerns about autonomous driving, please feel free to contact us using the form below.