As the number of regular bus services has been reduced one after another due to a shortage of drivers, Matsue City has announced a policy to reduce the number of city buses running on weekdays by nearly 20% from April this year. This is said to be in response to the so-called ``2024 problem,'' where regulations on overtime work for drivers will be tightened.
According to the Matsue City Transportation Bureau, starting from April this year, the city bus schedule will be significantly revised.
▽ The number of buses running on weekdays will be reduced by 70 from the current level, which is an 18% reduction to 308 services. ▽ The number of buses running on weekdays will be reduced from the current number to 308.
▽ The number of buses running on weekdays will be reduced from the current number to 308.
The plan is to reduce the number of flights by 9% to 247 flights from 26 flights.
This is in response to the so-called ``2024 problem,'' in which city buses are currently short of about 10 drivers at any given time, and regulations on overtime work for drivers will be tightened starting in April.
In line with this, city buses are trying to improve efficiency by sorting out duplicate destinations and stopovers and reviewing routes.
In addition, in order to minimize the impact on citizens' lives, they explained that they made efforts to secure as many flights as possible during morning commuting hours.
The Matsue City Transportation Bureau commented, ``It was a difficult decision to reduce the number of flights, but it was necessary for safe and secure operation. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your understanding.''