Driverless Autonomous Driving Mobility Services to Start in Seaside Resort in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture

Aiming for the "start of driverless autonomous driving mobility services in limited areas by the end of 2020" as part of the Growth Strategy Follow-ups 2020 (Cabinet Decision on July 17, 2020), METI has been cooperating with MLIT to advance a demonstration test for technologies and services involving autonomous driving vehicles, making use of a remote-controlled system in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture. This was commissioned to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

Based on the results of the demonstration test, METI announces that driverless autonomous driving mobility services will begin on a seaside course in Chatan Town on March 31 (Wed.), 2021. Control over the operation will be transferred to "Chatan Town Management & Mobility Service LLC."

In this driverless autonomous driving service, using the remote-controlled system, a single operator monitors and controls two driverless autonomous driving vehicles. For the time being, members of staff will be present in the rear of the vehicles for safety purposes.

The autonomous driving vehicles used have equivalent systems to the first level-3 autonomous vehicles in Japan, which were approved in Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture. The course is not a road that comes under the regulations on road traffic, so the operation is not treated as level 3, but as level-3 equivalent*. In light of the driving environment, such as the narrow road width, two autonomous driving vehicles are monitored and/or operated by one driver.

The body of the vehicle, which will run on a seaside course in Chatan Town (also a beach resort), has been designed and painted to suit the atmosphere of a tourist spot, in order to increase acceptance among pedestrians and improve safety by making it more visually conspicuous.

The service is also free of charge to passengers, which will encourage many tourists to use the service, and revenue from advertising targeting passengers will cover the operating costs. In this way, the service will operate sustainably, acting as a model format for a tourist-targeted business.

Overview

Name

Mihama Shuttle Cart

Period of operation

March 31, 2021, onward

Driving route

About 2 km from the west seashore of Fisharena area to the American Village coastline

Fare

Free of charge (to be covered by revenue from in-vehicle advertising)

Operator

Chatan Town Management & Mobility Service LLC

Vehicles to be used

Yamaha electric carts, which AIST has modified by adding autonomous driving systems

Operation method

Using the remote-controlled system, a single operator monitors and controls two driverless autonomous driving vehicles.

Note:

1. For the time being, staff will remain on board the vehicles in the rear seats, for safety purposes
2. As the vehicles will initially be driven along public roads to the tourist route, license plate registration numbers have been obtained

• Vehicle decorated to suit the atmosphere of a tourist spot
• Using the remote-controlled system,
  a single operator monitors and controls
  two driverless autonomous driving vehicles .

• Reference 1: Overview of the driverless autonomous driving mobility service in Chatan Town, Okinawa Prefecture (in Japanese) (PDF:665KB)
• Reference 2: News release on the AIST website (in Japanese)

Division in Charge

ITS and Autonomous Driving Promotion Office, Automobile Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau