File photo / Japan News
Osaka: All five self-driving shuttle buses at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo have been suspended in the wake of a minor accident caused by one of the buses.
A bus on Monday hit a wall of a parking area while it was returning to a depot. The shuttle buses were used to transport visitors between the expo venue and a nearby parking area.
No one was injured in the accident.
Operator Osaka Metro Co. has suspended the service for the time being until the safety of the self-driving vehicles has been confirmed.
According to Osaka Metro, the accident occurred on Monday in the Maishima parking area north of the expo venue. After a driver manually parked the bus and left the driver’s seat, the bus began moving. It lightly hit a concrete wall about 50 centimeters high.
Osaka Metro has suspended all five self-driving shuttle buses, including the one that caused the accident. It is investigating the cause of the incident.
The company said the suspension will not adversely affect overall transportation services for visitors to the expo.
