DRIVERLESS BUSES TEST DEPLOYED IN JAPAN IN SENBOKU CITY, AKITA - AS TRAVELERS TAKE TURN EXPERIENCING THE TRIAL RUN - THE PLAN IS TO PROVIDE AN INCREASE TRANSPORTATION OPTION FOR ITS POPULOUS AND THE ELDERLY

A driverless bus has been tested on a public road for the first time in Japan.

An IT company was contracted to carry out the trial run in Senboku City, Akita Prefecture.

The city is designated as a special zone for promoting deregulation and economic revitalization.

An electric bus from France was used for Sunday's experiment. It has no driver's seat or steering wheel, and uses GPS to travel along a fixed route.

The bus automatically stops when it detects a human being or an obstacle.

Thirty-six people took turns to ride on the bus, which traveled back and forth 3 times along a 400-meter stretch of road near Lake Tazawa.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20161113_16/