Minamikawachi's autonomous-bus experiment is finally getting passengers. Osaka Prefecture's October 28 council papers set out a free northern-route trial from December 14 to February 23, 2027. The important word is trial: a driver remains responsible, seats are limited and this is not a new driverless bus network.
The route runs about 7.9 kilometres each way from Kaminotaishi Station, via Taishi Town Hall, to Chikatsu Asuka Museum. The plan is six one-way services a day, meaning three return trips, broadly between 10:00 and 16:00. It excludes December 29-January 3. Capacity is ten passengers, with advance telephone reservations. The detailed timetable and booking procedure were not confirmed in the official material I checked on October 29. A launch date is not a booking number.
What the machine still needs a person to do
The northern route is operating at Level 2. The council paper is unusually plain about what that means: the system assists with driving, but the driver remains in charge. Training includes switching between automatic and manual operation, judging when to take over and responding to emergencies.
The prefecture reports that average driver overrides fell from 45 per return trip in the early adjustment phase to 11 in the later phase. That is progress within this test, not proof that a human is becoming unnecessary. Roadworks, parked vehicles and oncoming vehicles crossing the centre line still required intervention; one right-turn section remains manual for now. These are the project's own results, not an independent safety rating.
Speed is another limit worth reading before the futuristic headline. Sections are set at maximum speeds of 15-35 km/h, around 5-25 km/h below the legal limit according to local road conditions. The expected journey is about half an hour each way. The vehicle is a Hino Poncho diesel minibus, not a recycled electric Expo bus.
One route now, another still being worked out
The southern route, from Tondabayashi towards Chihayaakasaka, does not have the same confirmed passenger timetable. The papers sketch a March-to-May phase, but say its operating plan will be judged at a later council meeting after testing. Treat that as a proposal, not a service you can arrange your day around.
Keeping local transport available is the stated purpose. Ten free seats are a useful experiment; they are not yet an answer to an entire region's transport needs. For prospective riders, the next practical announcement is the timetable and reservation method, not another promise of a driverless future.
日本語
南河内の自動運転バス実証実験が、乗客を乗せる段階へ進みます。大阪府が10月28日の協議会で示した北部ルートの運行計画は、12月14日から2027年2月23日まで。無料ですが、運転士が責任を持って運転するレベル2の実証であり、無人バス網の開業ではありません。
上ノ太子駅前から太子町役場を経由し、近つ飛鳥博物館前まで片道約7.9km。概ね10〜16時、1日6便（3往復）、定員10人、電話での事前予約制です。12月29日〜1月3日は運休。10月29日に確認した公式資料では、詳しいダイヤと予約方法は今後の案内とされています。開始日が決まったことと、今すぐ予約できることは別です。
府の資料では、車両調整の初期に1往復平均45回だった手動介入が、後期には11回へ減少。ただし、これは事業側が示した試験結果で、第三者の安全評価ではありません。工事、路上駐車、中央線を越える対向車への対応などで介入が必要で、右折区間の一部は当面手動です。運転士研修には切替操作や介入判断、緊急時対応が含まれます。
区間ごとの設定最高速度は15〜35km/h。道路幅員などに応じて法定速度より5〜25km/h程度低く設定し、所要時間は片道約30分です。車両は日野ポンチョのディーゼル小型バスで、万博の電気バスをそのまま再利用するものではありません。
富田林から千早赤阪方面の南部ルートは別段階です。資料には3月中旬〜5月の想定が示されていますが、運行計画はテストの進捗を踏まえ、次回協議会で判断するとしています。確定した旅程として扱わないように。地域交通を維持するための実験と、地域の移動需要全体に応える運行体制は同じではありません。利用者が次に待つべきなのは、具体的なダイヤと予約方法です。
Sources checked October 29, 2026 at 08:01 JST. Plans and reservation details may change.
File photo: Kaminotaishi Station south entrance, March 2007, by W236 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped card shared under the same license. Not a view of the trial bus or its current boarding point.
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