Opinions and Responses

About i-Bus

I live in Koyodai, and the revision of the i-Bus timetable has made things very inconvenient.

Koyodai is located on top of a hill, and to get to Minami-Tama Station, you have to go up and down a steep slope (about 1.5 km). It is dangerous to ride a bicycle on rainy or snowy days, and the night road is dangerous for young women as there is no place to escape. Many office workers probably relied on the bus to Minami-Tama Station as a means of commuting.

Climbing the slope with a body tired from work or study is simply depressing. Could you please operate at least one bus per hour until 8 p.m.?

Response

Regarding the current situation surrounding route bus Business Operators, there is a nationwide issue of a severe shortage of bus drivers and the need to comply with the "Standards for Improvement of Working Hours, etc. of Motor Vehicle Drivers," commonly known as the "Improvement Standards Notice," which was revised and enforced on April 1, 2024. Route bus Business Operators are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the current scale of operations even for community buses, which are operated with operating subsidies provided by municipalities to cover the gap between operating expenses and fare revenues, despite receiving such subsidies from the city.
In Inagi City, although Odakyu Bus, which originally operated the i-Bus, requested a complete withdrawal from i-Bus operations to maintain route buses, through discussions based on the city's requests, the number of trips and routes was reduced but operations were able to continue.
In reviewing the i-Bus operation routes, the city has engaged in repeated discussions at the "Inagi City Regional Public Transportation Council," a statutory council composed of citizen representatives from each Neighborhood Association, Older Adults, disability groups, bus Business Operators, the police, and others, aiming to realize transportation services that reflect the local circumstances. As a result, while the number of routes was reduced from five to two, one route was entrusted to a new bus Business Operator other than Odakyu Bus, securing revised routes that minimize the impact on citizens as much as possible.
Regarding the revised i-Bus routes, they have been determined to be operable with operating hours that comply with the "Improvement Standards Notification." The revision policy, which includes enabling travel to distant locations by transferring between community buses and route buses, was discussed repeatedly at the "Regional Public Transportation Council" and decided in January 2026. The new routes have been in operation since April 1, 2026.
Regarding your request for bus service from Minami-Tama Station after the last i-Bus at 5:05 p.m. toward Koyodai, Nagamine, and Wakabadai Station, currently there is only one bus operated by Keio Bus bound for Wakabadai Station (Route Waka 02, with only three trips on weekdays) departing at 7:57 p.m. Therefore, the city has requested the route bus Business Operators to increase the number of trips during this time period.
The bus Business Operators have responded that, given the current severe shortage of bus drivers has not been resolved, increasing the number of services is difficult. However, the city will continue to make requests to the bus Business Operators through the Regional Public Transportation Council and other channels going forward.

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