Osaka Metro, the owner of the 190 EV buses used at the World Expo, has announced it will abandon plans to repurpose them for regular bus routes and other uses due to a series of malfunctions in the vehicles sold by the manufacturer.
The EV buses introduced by Osaka Metro to transport visitors to the World Expo were intended to be repurposed as a legacy of the Expo and used in autonomous driving demonstration experiments planned by Osaka Prefecture.
However, a series of malfunctions in the vehicles sold by the manufacturer, EV Motors Japan, led Osaka Metro to suspend use of the buses in order to confirm their safety. Today (March 31), the company announced that it would not use any of the 190 buses, including those used for on-demand buses, in the future, stating that “it is difficult to ensure safety and stability.” The purchase of the EV buses was made possible with subsidies from the national government, Osaka Prefecture, and Osaka City.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said, “From the perspective of prioritizing safety, I think it’s unavoidable. Since the train will not be used, we will also demand the return of the subsidies. We have conveyed this to the Metro.” Osaka Metro said it would handle the subsidies appropriately, but declined to comment on the handling of the trains.
