Autonomous Vehicles To Support Travel Services At Haneda Airport Will Be Added

Autonomous buses at Japan's Haneda International Airport. (Source: Macnica)

JAKARTA - Japanese companies are stepping up their efforts to introduce autonomous vehicles at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport, a transportation hub for travelers from within and outside the country

At Haneda Innovation City, commercial and business complexes near airports, fully automated Level 4 driverless buses, will transport people in locations for free.

Vehicles with 11 passengers will operate on the 800 meter route with a maximum speed of 12 kilometers per hour, while their status is monitored remotely.

The project involves Boldly Inc., a subsidiary of cellular operator SoftBank Corp. specializing in driverless vehicles, and general contractor Kajima Corp., one of the companies operating the complex.

Bus operators are the first in the private sector to obtain approval from authorities to provide public services using Level 4 vehicles in April.

The two companies have plans to introduce an autonomous vehicle connecting the complex and airport on a 3.9 km round-trip route around 2026.

It is known that Japan is facing an acute labor shortage and the transportation sector is one of the hardest hit. The government is promoting the use of driverless vehicles to address the shortage of bus and taxi drivers.

Last month, All Nippon Airways Co. and Toyota Industries Corp. tested the Level 4 recalled vehicles at Haneda, in the first trial conducted within a limited domestic airport area. After checking safety and operation, the company plans to start using it by 2025.

Equipped with cameras and sensors to avoid objects on track, driverless transport vehicles carrying six containers drove about 2 km between the runway and the nearest facility at a speed of about 15 km during a demonstration in July.