Hello all. I've lived in Sendai for most of my time in Japan. Until recently, I've never had to take a bus before. Now I live in Mitaka and have to take one every day.
I've noticed that the buses are almost never on time. They are either late or early. This has caused me to be almost late for work a few times, and as of today, actually late for work (by two minutes). The thing is, I was five minutes early for my bus and as I approached the stop from the other end of the street, I watched as it drove away… five minutes early. There is another stop close to me that I can use alternatively. I got there and the bus never showed up. I assume it also came and went early. I then proceeded to wait more than 20 minutes for the next one, which came 6 minutes late. Is this normal? It's definitely normal for Mitaka.
Additionally, I know about the delay certificate for the train. Is there a version of that for the bus? How would I prove that the bus was late? Does it count if I missed the bus because it was early? I waited 25+ minutes for a bus that's supposed to come in 15 minute intervals.
by ub3rchief