TMN to Conduct PoC on Kan-etsu Transportation’s Public Buses

Transaction Media Networks, Inc. (TMN) will conduct a Proof of Concept (PoC) using facial recognition technology to visualize the usage status of selected public bus routes operated by Kan-etsu Transportation Co., Ltd. (Kan-etsu Transportation), a part of Tobu Group.

Outline of PoC

PoC Period: April 24, 25, and 28, 2025
Operating Routes: 2 buses operating on the Kan-etsu Transportation’s Shibukawa-Ikaho Onsen Line and the Maebashi-Shibukawa Line
Implementation Details: AI cameras will be installed near the boarding and disembarking doors, and boarding and disembarking information and passenger attribute information will be acquired in the cloud computing environment along with the location information

Contributing to Sustainability Improvement of Public Bus Operations

TMN is promoting initiatives that contribute to sustainable bus operations by formulating appropriate operation plans for public buses and reducing the burden of driver duties, all the while bus services are reduced or discontinued due to a nationwide driver shortage.

To date, TMN has conducted three PoCs on public buses operated with the cooperation of Kan-etsu Transportation and Niigata Kotsu. Based on the three PoCs, TMN believes that there are issues in the mobile devices’ method of acquiring information to the cloud computing environment when the communication environment is unstable, and in the passive approval facial recognition accuracy method where authentication is conducted without the person being aware of it. The fourth and currently scheduled PoC will be conducted with the aim of identifying further issues and improving accuracy for practical use.

<An Overview of TMN’s Efforts related to the Bus Digital Transformation to date>

• April 2023:
  Shibukawa City, Kan-etsu Transportation, and TMN sign a three-party partnership agreement
• June 2023:
  Selected for Niigata City's "JFY2023 Niigata City Proof-of-Concept Study Support Subsidy Program"
• December 2023:
  PoC (1):Niigata Kotsu Bus (Niigata City)
• February 2024:
  PoC (2): Kan-etsu Transportation Bus (Autonomous Operation Demonstration) (Shibukawa City)
• June 2024:
  Selected for “Niigata City Digital Innovation Promotion Subsidy Program for Japan Fiscal year 2024”
• December 2024:
  PoC (3): Niigata Kotsu Bus (Niigata City)

About Kan-etsu Transportation

Kan-etsu Transporation operates a wide range of businesses, including Central to Northern Gunma Prefecture’s public bus operation, highway bus operations to destinations such as Narita Airport, tour buses operating across the nation, as well as taxis, travel agency, gas sales, and vehicle maintenance shops. Kan-etsu Transportation aims to provide easy-to-use transportation that meets the needs of the passengers customers with safety and security as a top priority, so that the passengers can use the buses and taxis as the most convenient means of transportation in their daily lives.

<Kan-etsu Transportation Co.,Ltd. Profile>

Representative: President and CEO Toshiya Sato
Headquarter: 608-1 Nakajima, Nakamura, Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture
Business description:

• General passenger vehicle transportation business
• General charter passenger vehicle transportation business
• General bus transportation business
• Specified passenger vehicle transportation business
• Storage, management and sale of liquefied petroleum gas
• Automobile overhaul and maintenance business
• Non-life insurance agency business
• Real estate leasing business
• Travel agency business based on the Travel Agency Act
• Insurance agency business based on the Automobile Liability Act
• Contract business for automobile management

All operations incidental to the preceding items
Established: June 1953
Capital: 68,153,000 yen
URL：https://kan-etsu.net/en/