My son’s family and I rode the” Gifu Heart Bus”. It went around the Gifu City from JR Gifu Station.

This bus is one of the future public transportation systems.

You can ride it free of charge until March 31, 2028. There are currently three buses with a capacity of 10 passengers each, and reservations are required.

There was no driver’s seat in the bus, and an operator assisted at the rear with a controller.

However, the vehicles automatically slow down and stop with little assistance.

The maximum speed was 20 km/h, and in areas where sidewalks and roadways are not separated, the bus was running at less than 9 km/h.

My family enjoyed a relaxing and leisurely bus ride!

The bus is operated by Boldly, a Japanese company.

The interior and exterior are designed by Mr.Eiji Mitooka, who also designed the luxury sleeper train “Nanatsuboshi in Kyushu,

The bus is the French self-driving bus “ARMA”.

The interior design is lean and sophisticated.

The bus is red, like the buses in London. And red is the color of change. With the current shortage of bus drivers in Gifu, automatic driving is probably a must.

There were explanations written inside in various languages.

After more research is done, safety will be ensured, and there will be a lot of such automated buses and cars in Japan in the near the future.