Otaru City, Hokkaido and Macnica have begun a demonstration run of Otaru City's first autonomous driving EV bus, aiming to maintain bus routes in the future!

Otaru City, Hokkaido (Mayor: Toshiya Sako) and Macnica (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter referred to Macnica) announced today that they will conduct a demonstration run to explore the feasibility of introducing an autonomous driving electric bus as one way to maintain bus routes in the future, given the current shortage of bus drivers.

■About the demonstration operation of the autonomous driving EV bus
Otaru City and Macnica will conduct a test drive and test ride event on public roads to simulate the social implementation of an autonomous driving EV bus. This will be the first demonstration run of an autonomous driving EV bus in Otaru City as a demonstration of new technology, with the aim of verifying and understanding operational issues and local acceptance.

This demonstration will be conducted at Level 2 autonomous driving, so the vehicle will basically be autonomous driving, but an operator will be on board and will operate under his supervision. Although the vehicle will basically operate autonomously, if it detects an obstacle or determines that it is in a dangerous situation, it will automatically stop and the operator will manually support the vehicle.

Macnica is using the world's most advanced technologies, such as AI, IoT, and autonomous driving, to tackle various social issues in collaboration with partner companies, research institutes, and local governments. As part of this initiative, we are working with local governments across the country to create safe, secure, and livable cities of the future, starting with demonstration experiments of autonomous driving buses.

■ Demonstration operation of new mobility utilizing autonomous driving technology, etc.
autonomous driving is a system that uses cameras, sensors, and GPS location information systems to recognize the surrounding situation, make predictions and decisions, and then operate the autonomous driving wheel, accelerator, and brakes.The vehicle used this time is the NAVYA EVO ^{* 1}, an autonomous driving EV bus that has no steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedals.

The bus will operate seven times a day on a 3.7km route that circulates from the Otaru International Information Center around the Otaru Canal and the Otaru Sakaimachi Shopping Street. Aiming for deployment in areas lacking public transportation, the project will verify whether stable operation is possible even with obstacles such as parked cars on the road. Furthermore, vehicle driving data will be linked to Macnica 's remote operation management system, "everfleet ^{* 2}," allowing real-time remote monitoring of the autonomous driving EV bus's driving information. Using autonomous driving EV buses will help secure and increase public transportation options and address the driver shortage.

■Bus wrapping design by students from Hokkaido University of Science
Hokkaido University of Science, which has signed a partnership agreement with Otaru City,
In collaboration with the company, we designed a wrapping for an autonomous driving EV bus.
As a result of the open call for designs within the university, nine people applied.
Selection by stakeholders and voting by Otaru City officials
One design was adopted.
The motif is a glass craft called "Otaru Kiriko" with waves and a lighthouse
It expresses the following.

A panel exhibition of submitted works will be held during the demonstration.
Period: August 18th (Monday) to August 31st (Sunday)
Location: Otaru International Information Center

<Test Drive Event Overview>
・Operation dates: August 18th (Monday) to August 31st (Sunday), 2025 (14 days in total)
・Operating hours: 9:00-16:40 (7 departures per hour, approximately 40 minutes)
・Fee: Free
How to board: Residents can make reservations for odd-numbered buses. <Reservation site https://reserva.be/otaruev＞
Even-numbered flights are on a first-come, first-served basis on the day (reservations are not accepted). You can board reserved flights if there are spaces available.
*Reservations are only accepted for boarding from the International Information Center.
When boarding, you may be asked to present proof that your address is within the city.
・Target audience: Anyone
・Capacity: 8 people per flight
・Timetable:

・Route: Otaru International Information Center - Ironai Boulevard, Sakaimachi Main Street
(See the map below) ~ Prefectural Route 17 Otaru Port Line (Rinko Line) ~ Otaru International Information Center

*1: autonomous driving electric bus EVO (Manufactured by Navya Mobility)
EVO is an autonomous driving shuttle bus equipped with an autonomous driving system. It is an EV (electric vehicle) that can travel autonomously for approximately 9 hours (100km) on a single charge.
Total length: 4,780mm
Overall height: 2,670mm
Overall width: 2,100mm
Weight: 2,600kg
Total vehicle weight: 3,450 kg
Number of passengers: Maximum 15 people (this time the bus is operating with a passenger capacity of 8 people)
Power source: electric motor
Maximum speed: 25km/h (average speed during operation: 15km/h)
autonomous driving level: Level 2 (technically equivalent to Level 3)
Other: In case of emergency, the driver will manually intervene

The autonomous driving EV bus used in this demonstration experiment will be provided through the "autonomous driving Demonstration Experiment Support Service Program" jointly established by Macnica, Fuyo Sogo Lease Co., Ltd., and Fuyo Auto Lease Co., Ltd. Please refer to the URL below for details.
https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/maas/news/2021/136501/

*2: everfleet
Practical application of autonomous driving requires remote monitoring of passengers in the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle. everfleet integrates and visualizes vehicle data such as vehicle speed, steering, and remaining battery level in addition to vehicle location information and camera footage inside and outside the vehicle, and can also link with external data in coordination with traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights. This allows for real-time remote monitoring of operational status, enabling safe and secure operation of autonomous driving vehicles. Furthermore, the system can simultaneously manage a wide variety of mobility vehicles across multiple regions and automatically detect and notify of operational anomalies. This allows for efficient operation management of autonomous driving vehicles by a single remote monitor, reducing the number of personnel required for operations and contributing to improved transportation profitability.

*Product names mentioned in the text are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
*Information (including product prices, specifications, etc.) in the news release is current as of the date of the announcement. Please note that it is subject to change without prior notice.

<Contact information for inquiries regarding this demonstration operation>
Otaru City General Policy Department, Public-Private Partnership Office, Public Transportation Section
TEL: 0134-32-4111
MAIL: kotsu@city.otaru.lg.jp

Macnica Public Solutions Promotion Office Hokkaido Office
TEL: 045-470-9191
MAIL: gpo-h@macnica.co.jp