Large 18-meter-long bus with 1.5 times the passenger capacity makes its debut. Shizutetsu Justline, which operates route buses mainly in Shizuoka City, began operating “articulated buses” on April 3rd.
They are expected to alleviate congestion during rush hour and address the driver shortage. The large body makes it easy to take curves. This is the first “articulated bus” to be introduced in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Shizutetsu Justline, headquartered in Shizuoka City, began operating them on the route connecting JR Higashi-Shizuoka Station and Eiwa Gakuin University on the 3rd. “This bus has two bodies connected by a bellows, creating a spacious interior.”
The total length is approximately 18 meters, and one bus can carry 112 people, which is about 1.5 times the capacity of a conventional route bus. To alleviate congestion during rush hour and address the driver shortage, these articulated buses are expected to solve challenges in regional transportation.
“We were causing inconvenience to our customers due to congestion, especially during weekday morning commutes. We introduced articulated buses with the hope that this would alleviate congestion and also help solve the driver shortage.” The articulated buses will also be used on the route connecting JR Shizuoka Station and Shizuoka University, and are planned to be used as temporary shuttle buses when J.League matches are held in the future.
