Name

SB Drive

Legal name

Not found in source data - company profile data for SB Drive is not present in the provided sources

Website

https://softbank.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Vehicle Technology

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Autonomous Vehicles & Ground Mobility (HDAAAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Autonomous Driving & ADAS Perception (HDAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Autonomous vehicle technology
• Public transportation systems
• Self-driving buses
• Mobility solutions
• Autonomous transit

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Core offering

SB Drive develops autonomous vehicle technology for public transportation. The company focuses on deploying autonomous bus solutions to address Japan's acute transportation labor shortages and to support mobility for the country's rapidly aging population, where approximately 30% of citizens are over sixty-five.

Product overview

SoftBank offers a comprehensive telecommunications and technology portfolio consisting of core mobile and internet services for consumers, alongside an extensive enterprise solutions platform. The business solutions ecosystem includes security services (Cybereason, Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, NOZ SECURITY MSS), AI services (sovereign AI, AI agents, generative AI), cloud services (AWS/Azure/Google Cloud integrations, IaaS/PaaS), IoT solutions, 5G services, and digital marketing. Specialized offerings address Japan's demographic challenges including autonomous transportation (BOLDLY autonomous buses), accessibility services (Assist Guide, KoeTora, Heart Friend discounts), and managed security services (NOZ SECURITY MSS) for SMBs. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture where core connectivity services serve as the foundation for value-added enterprise and accessibility solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BOLDLY (Boardly) Autonomous Bus Autonomous driving bus service for public transportation, designed to address transportation labor shortages and accessibility needs in Japan's aging society. Targeted at municipal transit operators, regional governments, and public transport agencies seeking autonomous mobility solutions.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Japanese GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSB Drive operates as part of a private-sector partnership with government to develop autonomous driving solutions. The collaboration leverages Japan's demographically driven technological trajectory, with private-sector firms partnering with government to develop solutions across sectors including transportation, addressing challenges from Japan's aging population.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Yutong: China's largest bus manufacturer with an autonomous-driving bus program (Yutong Xiaoyu 2.0) deployed on Chinese public roads; geographic rival with directly comparable product (autonomous public bus) for the same aging-society use case.

Direct peers

• Beep: US autonomous mobility service provider operating fixed-route autonomous shuttles for communities, campuses, and transit agencies; comparable in deployment model and target customer to SB Drive's public-transit pilots.
• EasyMile: French autonomous shuttle developer (EZ10) targeting fixed-route public and campus transit — the closest international analog to SB Drive's BOLDLY autonomous bus deployments.
• Navya: French autonomous shuttle specialist (Autonom Shuttle) operating driverless public-transit pilots globally; directly competes with SB Drive in the autonomous people-mover category.
• May Mobility: US-based autonomous transit operator deploying low-speed self-driving shuttles on public roads for municipalities and campuses — comparable use case, regulatory environment, and customer profile to SB Drive.

Broad incumbents

• BYD: Global EV and bus manufacturer with autonomous driving R&D and electric bus deployments worldwide; broader portfolio but overlapping in autonomous electric public-transit solutions.
• Mobileye (Intel): Leading AV perception and mapping supplier whose technology underpins multiple autonomous bus and shuttle programs globally; comparable to SB Drive's AV stack layer and a potential partner or competitor.
• ZF Autonomous Systems: Large automotive Tier-1 supplier with an autonomous shuttle platform and active public-transit pilots (e.g., rbu://RABus in Germany); broader portfolio than SB Drive but direct overlap in autonomous bus tech.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SB Drive