Advanced Mobility starts autonomous bus demonstration in Fuji

Advanced Mobility joined Fuji City’s FY2026 autonomous bus demonstration and began operations on November 6, 2026. The demonstration runs through November 15. On weekdays, the bus will make one-way trips of about 2.0 km between Shin-Fuji Station and Fuji Station. On weekends, it will also run one-way trips of about 3.0 km between Shin-Fuji Station and Tagonoura Port. Fuji City aims to obtain authorization for Level 4 autonomous driving, but this service will operate at Level 2.

The Fuji service includes a route connecting a Shinkansen station and a conventional rail station, and will operate at Level 2 with traffic signal coordination. For the city, which is aiming for Level 4, it will be important to distinguish the technical and operational results assessed in this demonstration from the requirements for obtaining authorization.

The demonstration’s key feature is its staged approach: The city has set Level 4 deployment as a goal, while the service itself will run at Level 2 and assess technical and operational aspects, including traffic signal coordination, in an urban setting. The weekday route covers about 2.0 km one way between Shin-Fuji Station and Fuji Station, while the weekend service adds a roughly 3.0-km one-way route toward Tagonoura Port, combining station access with a different route. The service is free and requires reservations, with six trips a day on weekdays and four on weekends. It should be understood as a time-limited demonstration, not a regular public transportation service. A related article in this newspaper, Rakuten Mobile joins Saga City’s Level 4 autonomous driving demonstration, was published on August 15, 2026. Fuji City’s initiative is notable for explicitly identifying the current operating stage as Level 2 as it works toward Level 4. The two regions cannot be considered to be at the same technical stage, and their authorization status and operating conditions must be tracked separately. Another article, Transport Ministry seeks budget for autonomous driving, published on September 5, 2026, reported that measures to realize an autonomous driving society were included in the government’s FY2027 budget request. Fuji City’s demonstration involves operational testing at the local level, while the budget request concerns national policy. The available materials do not establish a link between the two or whether the requested funds would apply to the demonstration. The project structure involves the city setting an implementation road map and establishing a council, while Advanced Mobility provides vehicles and technical support and tests driving and operations, including traffic signal coordination. The inclusion of busy areas around stations in the route makes this a demonstration addressing operating conditions in an urban area, rather than one limited to a restricted driving route. However, the announcement does not specify the method of traffic signal coordination or report safety outcomes such as interventions or stops. Assessing a transition to Level 4 will require checking not only the results of this demonstration but also the conditions for authorization, safety performance during operations, the number of vehicles, and the post-demonstration operating structure and cost allocation.

Advanced Mobility will provide vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems and technical support for the demonstration. According to the company, the service will use traffic signal coordination, travel through busy urban areas around stations, and assess technical and operational aspects. Fares are free, and advance reservations are required. The service will run six trips a day on weekdays and four on weekends. There will be no service on Mondays. Fuji City established its “Fuji City Autonomous Bus Implementation Road Map” in April 2026 and is pursuing Level 4 authorization through a council comprising government agencies, transportation operators and mobility vendors.