NTT Docomo Inc. will begin offering by March 2019 an artificial intelligence-based smartphone system that promises more efficient bus services.
Using a smartphone application, people will ask to be picked up, specifying their destinations and when and where they want to board.
The mobile communication carrier and the Hokkaido-based venture company, Mirai Share, said the system they will jointly develop will be suited for rural areas and resorts. It will calculate optimal routes for picking up passengers, and eliminate the need to halt at every bus stop on a regular route.
The system will also help bus operators determine the best routes and service frequencies by predicting hours and areas of high passenger demand.