As the infection status of the new coronavirus is kept at a low level and tourism demand is expected to recover during the year-end and New Year holidays, concerns are spreading about the impact of the new mutant virus "Omicron strain".


Bus companies in Tokyo that operate chartered buses have canceled reservations, raising concerns that the situation may return to the situation at the time of the spread of the infection.

The "Tokyo Yasaka Sightseeing Bus" in Kita-ku, Tokyo operates chartered buses mainly for travel in the Kanto region.



According to the company, sales in the 2nd and 3rd years of Reiwa decreased significantly due to the spread of the new corona infection, and it was in the red since 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred.



According to the record of bus operation status, 159 buses owned by the owner were operating every day in October before the spread of the infection, but in October last year, which is the third wave, no reservation was made and even one was operating. It is written that it was not.



The number of infected people began to decrease, and reservations began to be made little by little after October, and buses started to operate to about half of the peak hours.



However, as the infection of "Omicron strain" began to be confirmed one after another in Japan earlier this month, the company actually began to have an impact, and reservations for elementary and junior high school school trips scheduled for the beginning of the year were canceled one after another. about it.



The company maintains its management by utilizing national subsidies and reducing the number of buses it owns by more than 10 units, but if demand does not recover as it is, the situation will be at the time of the spread of infection. I am worried that I may go back.



Katsuo Takiguchi, managing director of the "Tokyo Yasaka Sightseeing Bus," said, "Since the infection situation has settled down, I thought that I could get out of the deficit, but I am worried that it will return to the deficit due to the influence of the Omicron strain. There is also. I want Corona to end as soon as possible because corporate efforts alone can no longer be helped. "

Some drivers work part-time at supermarkets

Due to the influence of Omicron strains, the drivers who support the site are also worried.



Shuji Kaneko (38) of "Tokyo Yasaka Sightseeing Bus" has been working as a driver at this company for 10 years.



Due to the spread of the new corona infection, the number of jobs has decreased sharply, and the company has ordered "waiting at home" for many periods.

The driver who is waiting at home can only receive the basic salary, but there are voices saying that "life will be difficult", and the company has specially approved the driver's side business since October last year.



Kaneko chose to work part-time at a supermarket near her home to support her wife and two young children, even though some of her colleagues had to quit the company.



I used to drive a bus six days a week, but this time I can only do my main job one or two days a month.



Even if he works part-time five days a week, his monthly income is only about two-thirds of what he used to be.



Since October, I have been working on bus driving two or three times a week, but I continue to feel uneasy about the effects of Omicron strains.



Kaneko says, "I have about 30 years of mortgage loan, and I have to pay for utilities, and I have very little left over. If the number of newly infected people increases, I will lose my existing bus job. There is a possibility and I am very anxious. I want you to be in a world where you can live on a single bus job. "

Chartered bus operators are closed one after another

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, between February last year and the end of last month, there are a total of 314 chartered bus operators nationwide that have reported suspension or abolition of their businesses due to the effects of the Corona disaster. ..



Of these, the total number of operators in the Kanto region is 107.

Regarding this situation, Shinichi Ueda, President of the Tokyo Bus Association, said, "The infection situation has calmed down recently and the movement of people has returned a little, but the chartered bus industry has hardly benefited. The infection has spread again, and it is a serious situation. Some drivers lose their jobs, and we have no choice but to pray for the end of the infection. "