Tokyo Para 24th opening Bus company carefully prepares for corona infection control

At the Tokyo Paralympics, which will start on the 24th of this month, many buses will be used to transport athletes and tournament officials, as in the Olympic Games. The bus company is making careful preparations as it is required.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, a maximum of about 1000 buses are scheduled to operate daily, including not only general chartered buses for transporting athletes and tournament officials, but also buses with lifts that support wheelchairs.

The bus company in Kita-ku, Tokyo plans to pick up and drop off athletes with seven buses, including a bus with a lift and a double-decker bus that can store wheelchairs on the first floor. We are.

In the training, participants check the procedure for getting a wheelchair on the bus one by one, and are trying to master it so that it can be operated smoothly.

Also, since Paralympic athletes are accustomed to handling wheelchairs, I learned that it is important not to try to help immediately, but to respond based on the intentions of the other party, and to treat them carefully when helping.

In addition, some athletes have a high risk of becoming seriously ill due to disability or underlying illness, and it is necessary to take careful infection control measures. I did.

The female guide who participated said, "Because it is a corona sickness, it is not too close, but I want to try to transport it with a good sense of distance and a spirit of hospitality."

In addition, although a tablet that guides you to your destination will be installed on the bus, if something goes wrong, it will put a heavy burden on the athletes in the heat, so the driver will know the route in advance. I also confirmed that I would carry a paper map with me.

Satoshi Fujita, Deputy General Manager of the Transportation Department of the bus company, said, "Paralympic athletes must be more careful about infection, so it should never be infected by the crew. Participate in the tournament. I will do my best to make you feel good. "

The challenges of the Olympics

At the Olympic Games, which was held prior to the Tokyo Paralympics, there were a number of voices concerned about the infection of the new coronavirus due to congestion in the cars over the buses that transport athletes and related parties, and there were also problems with vehicle allocation and operation management.

At the Tokyo Olympics, buses from bus companies nationwide gathered to transport athletes and related parties, and a maximum of 2,200 buses operated per day.

The Organizing Committee of the Games said that it would take thorough measures against infection by setting a guideline for the number of people in the car with a margin, but it is crowded with many people from overseas media who cannot sit down, mainly in the early stages of the Games. There were a number of cases in which voices of anxiety were sent out on SNS along with photos.

Also, from the people involved in the Olympic Village, the bus was so crowded that we couldn't get on the bus and had to wait for nearly an hour until the next flight, and the arrival was delayed from the scheduled time. It was pointed out that I had to wait.

Regarding these, the Games Organizing Committee said that the users were concentrated in a short time, the latest operation plan was not accurately communicated, and a problem occurred due to a communication environment problem with the dedicated tablet that guides to the destination. It is said that.

The Organizing Committee says that the troubles have been resolved by increasing the number of flights during peak hours and improving the communication environment of the dedicated tablet, "We will continue to provide safe and smooth transportation services for the Paralympics."

The people involved in the bus company who participated in the Tokyo Olympics

A man from a bus company in the Kansai region who participated in the bus transportation of the Tokyo Olympics responded to NHK's interview.

He was in charge of transporting the people involved in the tournament together with about 10 drivers, but he said he felt a problem with infection control and operation management.

The man said that there was congestion in the car, "The driver said,'How much do you get on? I was afraid that I might get infected because of the problem of corona.' It was also the operation of. "

Also, regarding the problem with the dedicated tablet, "I was very anxious because I was not accustomed to the road in Tokyo and relied on it. There was a delay because I did not know the destination. The problem gradually disappeared, but when I didn't know if it would stop, and I always prepared a solution for problems such as preparing a detailed map myself. "

After that, looking back on the transportation of the Olympic Games, he said, "I was able to finish without any major accidents during the period, but unlike the initial expectations, the whole event was confusing and I felt like I was swayed."

This bus company is not involved in the Paralympics, but regarding the transportation of the Paralympics, "If the operation is disturbed like the Olympic Games, waiting for the Paralympic athletes in the scorching sun will make you feel unwell and the inside of the car will become dense. I would like the Organizing Committee to make use of the lessons learned from the Olympic transportation, such as reviewing the operation plan to be more realistic. "