Smart City / Autonomous Infrastructure▲
AI-Powered Bus Location Systems Are Transforming the Future of Public Transport
The digitalisation of public transport and the adoption of AI are advancing, with transit management systems that build on bus location technology enhancing convenience. In March this year, the Public Transport Open Data Frontier 2026 forum was held, where the enrichment and utilisation of the General Transit Feed Specification were discussed. Using GTFS as a foundation, efforts are underway to achieve on-time operations through signal control, simplify the construction of smartphone bus navigation, and develop apps with generative AI. Pilot projects and commercialisation are progressing across various regions, including NTT Docomo Business's AI-operated bus, Fujitsu's Mobility as a Service and demand-responsive regional mobility transport system, and Lecip Holdings' transit management system LIVU. The spread of AI on-demand transport and autonomous driving is expected to encourage elderly people to go out more, resolve transport-poor areas, and shift the focus from vehicle ownership to mobility as a service.