Bus services in Tokyo have been scaled back because there are not enough drivers to operate them. The cuts came into effect this month and are believed to be the first since at least 2002 due to a labor shortage.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Transportation says a total of 206 services a week have been cut on 19 routes in the capital.
One passenger waiting at a bus stop said, ”The reduction in services will have a real impact on workers who use the bus every day.”
The transportation bureau says it was proving difficult to arrange driver schedules.
Inoue Seiichi from the Bureau of Transportation said that reducing services through changes to the timetables was a ”tough decision”. He said it has become very difficult to secure enough drivers as ”There is competition with other bus companies to acquire them because they also need to maintain a level of qualified personnel.”
The bureau says it tried to minimize the impact on passengers by carefully studying the bus routes of other operators.
AloJapan.com