Autonomous a2z puts its ROii driverless shuttle on Japanese roads for the first time

Korean self-driving company Autonomous a2z said its ROii shuttle joins a self-driving bus trial in the Kinosaki Onsen area of Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, from 9 November. It is the first time the company has run ROii on public roads outside Korea, and the city's first trial of a self-driving bus.

ROii is a level 4 platform built without a driver's seat that can carry up to 11 people, including standing passengers. For Japan it was converted to right-hand drive for left-hand traffic, and a safety driver rides on board during the trial. The company said it received a Japanese exemption certification to get number plates and passed a separate driver qualification test.

The shuttle runs about 1.8 km one way from Kinosaki Onsen station to near the Kinosaki International Arts Center, three free trips each weekday until 4 December. Trading company Kanematsu runs the project, local operator Zentan Bus drives the service, Sompo Japan handles risk assessment and insurance, and KDDI and KDDI Smart Mobility support communications and remote monitoring.

Han Ji-hyung, chief executive of Autonomous a2z, said the trial tests whether its technology and service work in a traffic environment different from Korea's, and that the company plans to prepare level 4 services for local transport in Japan with Kanematsu and Sompo Japan.