First demonstration of autonomous driving electric bus begins in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture

The Shiga Smart Access autonomous driving Challenge Project (hereinafter referred to as the Project) of Shiga Prefecture (Governor: Mikazuki Taizo) will be implemented by the Shiga Smart Access autonomous driving Challenge Project Consortium (Representative: NTT West Corporation (Shiga Branch Manager: Wakabayashi Nobumasa, hereinafter referred to as NTT West), Member: NTT Business Solutions Corporation (Shiga Business Sales Department Manager: Sugimoto Shinji, hereinafter referred to as NTT Business Solutions)).
Together with Macnica (Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara, hereinafter Macnica), a world leader in autonomous driving electric buses, we will conduct the first autonomous electric bus demonstration project in Hikone City for 17 days from Saturday, January 31, 2026 to Monday, February 16, 2026, with the aim of solving local issues in Shiga Prefecture, such as "maintaining and revitalizing a sustainable autonomous driving network."

1. Background/Purpose
Shiga Prefecture has formulated a Shiga Regional Transportation Vision and is working to maintain and revitalize a sustainable transportation network that responds to changes in social conditions.It is difficult to meet diverse mobility needs with existing public transportation alone, and the realization of autonomous driving is important for maintaining and revitalizing regional transportation, including responding to the increasingly severe shortage of bus drivers.As such, last year the prefecture conducted a ``Survey Project for the Demonstration and Implementation of autonomous driving in Shiga Prefecture'' and selected the ``Hikone Castle Route in Hikone City'' as a candidate for the demonstration operation of autonomous driving in Shiga Prefecture.
In order to revitalize public transportation in Shiga Prefecture and create a lively downtown area, we aim to provide sustainable transportation services through the operation of autonomous driving vehicles.

2. Overview
Demonstration operations of autonomous driving electric buses will be conducted on the Hikone City Hikone Castle Route in the following areas and during the following periods.
In addition, during the general operating period from Monday, February 2nd to Monday, February 16th, the service will be open to the general public, including prefectural residents and visitors.

(1) Overview of this project
●Project owner: Shiga Prefecture
●Operated by: Shiga Smart Access autonomous driving Challenge Consortium (NTT West Japan Corporation, NTT Business Solutions Corporation), Macnica
Demonstration content: Aiming to achieve Level 4, this project will conduct demonstration operations at Level 2
●Operating area: Hikone City Hikone Castle route (see attached sheet)
Demonstration period: 17 days from Saturday, January 31, 2026 to Monday, February 16, 2026
Note: On Saturday, January 31st and Sunday, February 1st, test drives will be available only to those involved.
Note: General service will run from Monday, February 2nd to Monday, February 16th.
Vehicle used: autonomous driving EV bus "EVO3" manufactured by Navya Mobility
- Maximum passenger capacity for demonstration operation is 9 people
-Speed less than 18km/h

Figure 1. autonomous driving EV bus vehicle

(2) General operation
● Implementation period: From February 2nd (Mon) to February 16th (Mon) 2026
●Operating schedule: 9am-4pm, 9 trips on weekdays, 11 trips on weekends
*See Attachment 2
●Ride reservations: Reservations can be made using the reservation app "Bus Come."
*See Attachment 2
*There are a limited number of spots available for same-day boarding even without a reservation.
●Reservation start date: Monday, January 26, 2026
●Fare: Free

3. Roles of each company
Shiga Prefecture: Project owner
Hikone City: Coordination and provision of demonstration and implementation fields, cooperation in coordinating with related parties, etc.
NTT West Corporation: Demonstration project supervision, questionnaire survey, etc.
NTT Business Solutions Corporation: autonomous driving Implementation Engineering
● Macnica, Inc.: autonomous driving system implementation engineering and support (provision of autonomous driving EV buses and remote operation management systems), establishment of operator member systems, etc.

4. Future Developments
Based on the results of this demonstration run, we will identify the issues and countermeasures necessary for realizing the social implementation of Level 4 autonomous driving, and will continue to conduct demonstration runs from next fiscal year onwards, aiming to realize the social implementation of Level 4 autonomous driving.
We will also examine the possibility of utilizing autonomous driving in regional transportation networks to stimulate new demand, such as promoting the use of public transportation and creating tourism and urban vitality.

Attachment 1

Attachment 2