ASM-AD lets Osaka Metro run an Expo bus with no driver

On 18 February 2025 a Japanese transport bureau confirmed that the automated operation device of Osaka Metro's Expo park-and-ride bus met the safety standards and approved it for Level 4.

  • Not rated society

    The bureau approved the bus for service with no driver, and no outcome for riders or other road users is reported.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Intended benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

An independent regulatory document supports the benefit.

The system’s part
Not isolated. The bureau confirmed that the device met the safety standards and gives no comparison with a human driver. The release describes sensors that locate the bus and the detection of vehicles and pedestrians. Jidounten Lab describes cameras, LiDAR and roadside aids. Neither source shows that the system learns from data.
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Benefit type
Increased Product Safety
System
Automated operation device (ASM-AD by Advanced Smart Mobility) on an EV Motors Japan F8 series2-City Bus 10.5m
Made by
Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd. (先進モビリティ株式会社), maker of the ASM-AD system, with the bus built by EV Motors Japan
Used by
Osaka Metro (大阪市高速電気軌道株式会社), the applicant and operator
Where
Maishima, Osaka, Japan
Stage
In a pilot
Date
, when the source was published
Kind
Benefit created
Broad benefit
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Collections
Scrutiny and findings
Last revised
1 November 2026

Sources

  1. Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan), Kinki District Transport Bureau, Automotive Technology and Safety Department. 近畿初！自動運転車（レベル４）認可 ～ 万博来場者向け自動運転を実現 ～ (First in Kinki: Level 4 automated vehicle approved for Expo visitors). News release, 18 February 2025, first paragraph and table.

    舞洲万博パーク＆ライドを利用する来場者が乗車するバスの自動運行装置について、令和７年２月18日、同装置の保安基準の適合性が確認されたことから、運転者を必要としない自動運転車として認可※しました。

  2. News report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Jidounten Lab (自動運転ラボ) editorial staff. 万博の自動運転バス、「車両も技術も国産」でレベル4認可を獲得 (The Expo automated bus wins Level 4 approval with a domestic vehicle and domestic technology). 28 February 2025.

    運行車両はEVモーターズ・ジャパン製「F8 series2-City Bus 10.5m」で、先進モビリティの自動運転システム「ASM-AD」を搭載している。

Details

AI system

Workflow

The bus finds its own position with sensors and follows a set route of about 2.5 km. It detects surrounding vehicles and pedestrians while it drives. By Jidounten Lab's account, magnetic markers, painted target lines and smart poles on the route support the system.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

The bus drives itself only on the approved route and under the conditions that the bureau set, at up to 35 km/h. The roadside aids must be in place along the route.

Entry details

Sector

Road vehicle automated driving.

Purpose

Advanced Smart Mobility built ASM-AD to drive buses on set routes with no driver under specific conditions.

31 more questions not yet checked

model, release, provider, role, configuration, inputs and outputs, autonomy, human oversight, AI contribution, beneficiaries, reach, distribution and access, duration, every measurement question, every money question, ownership and control, dependencies, cross-border connections, geopolitical implications, replication attempts, availability, institutional decision, grounds, action and result, success criterion, every evidence question, observed or intended, alternative assessments, related entries, other identifiers, category mappings.

Cite this record

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). ASM-AD lets Osaka Metro run an Expo bus with no driver (AIBD-1014). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 1 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1014.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 7.0)

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