TIL how Japan’s buses manage to stay punctual: Infrared sensors on the buses and streets connected to a control center, which would extend traffic signals on the road where bus is on to ensure the buses travels smoothly to the next stop

3 comments

1. The punctuality of Japan’s trains is too famous and has been discussed to death already, but what really amazes me during my time living in Japan and travelling to the many areas which aren’t serviced by trains, is that even their buses are so punctual they have actual times on their timetable instead of the usual “every XXX minutes”.

   While I understand how Japan’s trains achieve their punctuality due to the companies owning both the trains and tracks, meaning they can micromanage their train schedules down to the second, I always wonder how Japan’s buses manage to achieve this as well, as they have to share the road with other vehicles and face more traffic signals along the way.

   Even if the bus leaves one stop on time, there is no guarantee that it would arrive at the next stop on time without getting stuck in traffic. Turns out these simple infrared devices does the trick.

   Would this technology be workable for buses in other countries, or would the culture just be too different? (Just as we’ve yet to see trains elsewhere be as punctual as Japan’s)

2. If only this actually worked in Hakodate… bus punctuality goes completely out of the window once the first drop of snow comes. 15+ minutes is not uncommon in the winter

3. As a bus driver in Canada this sounds pretty nice. I’m more interested however in what it’s like for the drivers. What’s the pay and benefits like, how do the customers treat you? Are the time tables and turnaround time a grind? Are drivers seen as blue collar slobs like here or is it treated with a little more respect? And lastly…y’all got a bus driver exchange program😉