Is there such a thing?

“The best in the universe” Interesting bus March 3, 17:07

A project to create the most interesting public transportation in the universe

A certain bus company has set the ambitious goal of being the most interesting public transportation in the universe, and has been announcing elaborate fixed-route buses almost once a month.

A total of 12 times until the final time in February.

What kind of bus appeared?

And what is the real aim of the bus company aiming to be "the best in the universe"?

(Okayama Broadcasting Station reporter Shinji Koyama)

The final episode is "A bus that children won't want to get off"

"I want to make a sound when I press it!"

That button you press when you get off the bus.

Didn't you feel that way when you were a child?

The "bus that children won't want to get off" announced in February was full of such tricks.

First of all, "Push all you can get off button".

The button installed inside the bus can literally be pressed any number of times.

why?

When you press the button, you can hear the cat's cry "Meow".

Since the sound is changed, it will not stop at the bus stop by mistake.

You can press it as many times as you like.

And the admiration of the child "the driver's seat of the bus".

The front of the left side of the car has been refurbished into a "driver's seat" for passengers.

In addition to the steering wheel and shift lever that are the same as the real thing, it is also equipped with blinkers and meters, so you can really feel like a driver.

In addition to facilities unique to buses, such as numbered tickets that can be used as many as you like, there is also a vending machine for capsule toys.

It seems that there is no doubt that if children like this much, they will not want to get off.

Surprisingly, even as a journalist and a father of three, I couldn't help but mutter "fun" during the interview.

It was designed as a bus that not only children but also adults would not want to get off.

This bus actually runs on a route that connects the front of JR Okayama Station and the outskirts of the city only on weekends and holidays.

It's hard to take a fixed-route bus

This project was developed by the Ryobi Group, which operates fixed-route buses within the prefecture.

The Ryobi Group has 5 bus companies and has a network of routes throughout the prefecture.

The impetus for launching the project was the decrease in bus usage.

In this group, it is said that the number of passengers has decreased at a pace of 2-3% every year.

In the background, there was the influence of the declining birthrate and the use of private cars.

Okayama City is a car society.

There is a numerical value called "transportation mode sharing rate" that supports it.

This is a survey of which means of transportation are used when commuting to work or school.

Among ordinance-designated cities, Kawasaki City had the highest rate of using public transportation such as trains and buses at 66%.

In comparison, 56% of residents in Okayama City use private cars, and only 10% use public transportation.

The ratio is even smaller when limited to fixed-route buses.

In such a severe usage situation, the corona disaster added another blow.

Remote work at home and commuting by car with less risk of infection have accelerated, and the number of bus users has decreased by more than 30% at once.

It will be a situation where we have no choice but to abolish some routes in the red.

This project was born out of a sense of urgency that we would not be able to break out of the current situation if we were stuck with our previous ideas.

President Matsuda

: “We have faced the fact that the common sense of the public transportation industry is insane from the point of view of the service industry. I thought it should be a vehicle that people would choose once.”

It's full of puns, it's all serious

Therefore, in January last year, the first project was the “Lucky Planetarium Bus.”

Constellations such as Orion are displayed on the ceiling of the car as if it were a winter night sky.

You can enjoy the planetarium while in the car.

Many people, such as families, were invited, and some flights tripled the number of passengers.

Over the entire period that this bus was in operation, it increased by about 40% compared to the previous year.

After that, we introduced a bus with new ideas about once a month.

In March of last year, during the graduation season, a message was sent to the graduates on the monitor in the car, and the name of the message was "gift words".

The next one was the "Moyamoya Futobi Bus in May," which puts foliage plants inside the car so that you can relax while commuting to work or school and get rid of May disease.

I included puns without hesitation.

In addition, there are also efforts to increase income other than fares.

In conjunction with the "Setouchi International Art Festival" held in Okayama and elsewhere, the "Art Route Bus" sells paintings by young artists inside the bus.

A total of 670,000 yen was sold during the period.

Was the project successful?

Was it possible to achieve the aim of discovering users with such an interesting bus?

Of the 11 projects that have been held in the past, the only time the number of users has decreased compared to the previous year was “The freshest in the universe!?

Overall, it led to an increase in users compared to the previous year.

“Public transportation cannot survive unless it is chosen by customers,”

says President Matsuda, looking back on the past year of the “Omoshiro Bus,” which was born out of a strong sense of crisis.

President Matsuda

``The 12th impression made me realize that if we work hard, customers will choose us. I would like to maintain and continue local public transportation by doing so.”

Let's use our wisdom to overcome

The space funniest bus project has ended, but the company will continue to pursue "I want to ride" and consider the next move.

Local public transportation such as buses and railways is experiencing a decline in users due to depopulation, declining birthrates, and lifestyle changes.

How to maintain this is a common issue nationwide.

There is a tendency to seek public support from local governments for the maintenance and continuation of routes, but if the attitude of ``to overcome with wisdom'' spreads further, it may be possible to see future possibilities. yeah.

Under such circumstances, we will continue to cover what kind of move Okayama will make next.

Okayama Broadcasting Station Reporter

Shinji Koyama Joined

the station in 2004

After working at the Kagoshima station, Okayama station, TV news department, etc., working for Okayama station for the second time from 2021