Tokyo University of Technology to test Level 2 autonomous bus in Hachioji

The October–December trial follows earlier steps by the university and the city. In March, the university ran a partial-route demonstration aimed at automating its school bus service. In July, Hachioji was selected for a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism subsidy, and the university signed a consortium agreement with the city on autonomous driving adoption. This trial is run by that consortium.

The university already operates 27 school buses, including fuel-cell buses, and has a Future Mobility Research Center. It also plans a separate demonstration on the route from JR Hachioji Station to its campus within the current fiscal year, and it intends to use its supercomputer Aogumo for AI development to advance autonomous driving algorithms toward Level 4. The stated aim is to address driver shortages and transport gaps.

How much this trial proves will depend on whether the free, limited-schedule service produces useful data for a permanent route and on whether the university can move from supervised Level 2 operations toward higher automation. That path is not guaranteed, and the results will likely interest other local governments weighing similar partnerships.