TOKYO - Major construction company Kajima Corporation has announced that it will begin to operate a self-driving bus for passengers in August.

       The bus, which will run within a business complex near Haneda Airport, will be operated by Kajima in cooperation with other companies such as SoftBank subsidiary Boldly Inc.

       The bus will travel up to 12kmh along an 800m loop of road at the Haneda Innovation City complex in Ota Ward, Tokyo.

       During this period, an employee will be on board the bus, which can carry up to 11 passengers. If a situation arise, the bus may be operated manually. The bus’s operations will be monitored from a base in Ibaraki Prefecture.

       With bus companies facing a worsening shortage of drivers across the nation, there are high hopes that the expertise gained from this trial will be used in the future.

       Kajima and Boldly also intend to establish a service that connects to the complex to Haneda Airport. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK