Nov. 20 at 9:12 AM
$WRD now lets do Japan where WeRide WeRide deployed robotaxis, robobuses, and robosweepers already. Japan could come live for WeRide in January.
Pilot programs for autonomous bus lanes expanded to 50 locations. Why?
Japan has a significant bus driver shortage from aging workforce, declining workers and stricter overtime regulations limiting working hours to 960 per driver.
The shortage has led to reduced bus services nationwide.
The projected shortfall is 21,000 drivers and up to 36,000 by 2030, equivalent to about one-third of the current 110,000 bus drivers.
Tokyo's Toei Bus operator cut 206 services due to driver shortages. The shortage affects not just buses but also taxis. There are other examples.
Salary ranges are from
$26,000–
$36,000 USD. Assuming one bus route runs 16 hours a day requires two drivers minimum. It doesn't take long to pay for an AV and provide full bus service for the people.
So we have Belgium, Japan, UBER, GRAB and others getting AV into YE and throughout 2026.
