Abstract
The environment surrounding the bus transportation industry has become even more severe due to motorization, a shrinking population and an aging society with a declining birthrate, as well as the aging of drivers and a shortage of personnel. In response to this situation, expectations for Autonomous Vehicles Public Transit are growing as one of the new transportation systems, and demonstration tests and other efforts are underway in various areas. With the enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Law in April 2023, examples of steady-state operation using Level 4 automated driving have emerged, but they have yet to reach the realization target set by the government. In this study, we focused on the steady-state operation phase, which can be considered the preparatory phase for shifting to social implementation, among the nationwide examples of Autonomous Vehicles Public Transit, and analyzed the introduction trends by organizing the examples according to four urban structures, which are divided into areas inside and outside of railroad station areas. As a result, in urban areas, residential complexes, and mountainous areas outside the railroad station area, as well as in areas with a high percentage of elderly residents even within the railroad station area, there was a tendency for the elderly and other transportation disadvantaged residents to stop by medical and commercial facilities necessary for their daily lives. In the other areas with railroad stations, there was a tendency to operate services for tourists and other visitors by increasing convenience through the use of railroad station connections.
