What happened
NAVYA EVO shuttles have run in regular service in Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture, since 16 February 2024, with Macnica of Yokohama as the operator. Macnica applied to Japan's Kanto District Transport Bureau for the shuttle's automated operation device. On 25 March 2026 the bureau confirmed that the device met the safety standards of the Road Transport Vehicle Act. It attached operating environment conditions and approved the shuttle as a Level 4 automated vehicle that needs no driver. The approved section runs about 200 m of public road between a Cainz store and a childcare center, at up to 18 km/h. Macnica wrote that this was the first Level 4 approval for the EVO on a public road in Japan. It added that Level 4 running still needs a permit under the Road Traffic Act. The release says that the shuttle locates itself with sensors and detects nearby vehicles and pedestrians on a set route. NAVYA's product page said that the EVO interprets data from its lidar, cameras and other sensors with deep learning programs. The approval rests on a conformity check and reports no outcome from driverless service.
Sources
-
Regulatory document, by authors with no tie to the system.
Kanto District Transport Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省関東運輸局). 自動運転車（レベル４）の認可を行いました (Approval of a Level 4 automated vehicle). Press release, 25 March 2026.
2026 年 3 月 25 日、道路運送車両法に基づく保安基準の適合性が確認されたことから、当該車両に対し走行環 境条件の付与を行い、運転者を必要としない自動運転車（レベル４）として認可しました。
この自動運転車は、あらかじめ決められたルート内を周囲の車両や歩行者等を検知しながら、特定 の条件下において自動運転することが可能です。
-
Press release, by the organization that used it.
Macnica, Inc. マクニカ、茨城県常陸太田市にて定常運行中の自動運転EVバス「EVO」による自動運転車（レベル4）の認可を国土交通省より取得 (Macnica obtains Level 4 approval from MLIT for the EVO automated EV bus in regular service in Hitachiota). Press release via @Press, 25 March 2026.
自動運転EVバス「EVO」による一般道におけるレベル4の認可は国内初の事例となります。
今後道路交通法による特定自動運行に係る許可を取得後、今回付与された走行環境条件内でシステムが全ての運転操作を実施する自動運転レベル4運行に向けて引き続き準備を進めていきます。
-
Other, by the makers. Context or contrary evidence.
NAVYA. Autonom Shuttle Evo, product page (Wayback Machine copy of 2022).
Data from Lidar sensors, cameras, GPS RTK, IMU, and odometry is merged and interpreted by deep learning programs.
Details
AI system
- Workflow
-
The shuttle finds its own position with sensors and follows a set route of about 200 m at up to 18 km/h. It detects surrounding vehicles and pedestrians while it drives. The bureau confirmed that the automated operation device met the safety standards and set its operating environment conditions.
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
-
The shuttle drives itself only on the approved section and under the conditions of the approval. Level 4 running also needs a permit for specified automated operation under the Road Traffic Act, which Macnica says that it will seek.
Entry details
- Sector
-
Road vehicle automated driving.
- Purpose
-
NAVYA built the EVO shuttle to drive itself 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 benefit
Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). Macnica's EVO shuttle may run with no driver on a Hitachiota road (AIBD-1214). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 2 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1214.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 9.0)