Expo Bus Designs Unveiled; Two Models of Self-Driving Electric Vehicles will be Used In and Around Venue

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:43 JST, March 16, 2025

The designs of two models of self-driving buses that will be showcased at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo were recently unveiled ahead of opening day next month at the Expo venue on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Konohana Ward, Osaka.

The designs, whose base color is blue, were created to suggest networks of roads freely connecting as they run toward a destination.

Both models are electrically powered. The larger one, with a capacity of 24 passengers, will be used to take people from Maishima, another artificial island which floats in Osaka Bay next to Yumeshima, to the venue, while the smaller one, with a capacity of nine passengers, will be used to ferry people between various points inside the venue. There are planned to be eight buses in total.

An official from Osaka Metro Co, the operator of the buses, said: “We chose a color scheme that will leave an impression on visitors. We’ll do our best to make sure the buses are safe as we approach the opening of the Expo.”