Kyoto City, dealing with the problem of overcrowded metropolis buses resulting from overtourism, has launched a brand new initiative in June. What are the targets and challenges of this new measure?

On June 1st, the ‘Tourist Express Bus’ started operations at Kyoto Station. Separate from the common metropolis buses, these buses run solely on weekends and holidays, stopping solely close to vacationer websites. The purpose is to segregate ‘residents’ from ‘vacationers.’

Overtourism in Kyoto has led to extreme congestion, significantly on metropolis buses that residents use every day.

Reporter Nozomi Fujieda: ‘Passengers maintain boarding, however the bus is already full.’

Both residents and vacationers have been troubled by the overlap of routes serving every day commutes and vacationer locations.

‘I fear if I may even get on the bus. Maybe I’ll stroll or take a taxi.’

In response, Kyoto City has launched the ‘Tourist Express Bus,’ which stops solely at sure designated stops. The new schedule contains direct buses to Gojozaka close to the UNESCO World Heritage web site Kiyomizudera, and routes to bus stops close to Ginkakuji, passing by way of Gojozaka and Gion.

The fare is 500 yen for adults, greater than double the common fare, however the journey time from Kyoto Station to Gojozaka is diminished to about 10 minutes, and to Ginkakuji, from 44 minutes to about 24 minutes.

A person commented, ‘When I first heard it was 500 yen, I believed it was fairly costly, however it was very handy because it arrived very quickly.’

The pricing appears affordable for vacationers, however increasing the routes has launched new challenges.

Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui: ‘Both metropolis buses and personal buses face the identical subject: a scarcity of drivers…’

There is a scarcity of each drivers and autos. Even on weekdays, many individuals had been seen ready in line for buses on the third.

Another person mentioned, ‘If the Tourist Express Bus was accessible on weekdays, we would not have to attend in line so lengthy.’ ‘The categorical bus shouldn’t be efficient in any respect. We want extra of them.’

While Kyoto City hopes to function the Tourist Express Bus on busy weekdays, the scarcity of drivers and autos restricts it to weekends and holidays solely.

Source: YOMIURI