Softbank Mobile

SB Drive is an entity created last year to develop autonomous vehicle technology for public transport. SB Drive is a self-driving project with a focus on making public transportation options, particularly in more rural areas, smarter. The company is aiming to conduct tests on public roads next year with the eventual target of a commercial service by 2020. Already, it said, it has run “social trials” and testing using fixed-route public buses and freighter trucks that make use of autonomous driving tech. SB Drive has also struck partnerships with four municipalities in Japan.