【衝撃】東京23区に迫る廃線危機 撤退する事業者と支えられない行政｜はるかぜ号(東京都足立区コミュニティバス)【小春六花】

【衝撃】東京23区に迫る廃線危機 撤退する事業者と支えられない行政｜はるかぜ号(東京都足立区コミュニティバス)【小春六花】

Thank you for watching. This time, we will explain the big crisis facing Tokyo’s 23 wards. We will introduce the situations that threaten life in urban areas and the big problems behind them. This is Ayase Station, where the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line and JR Joban Line trains run.

In addition to trains that connect directly to the Chiyoda Line and Joban Line, there are also Chiyoda Line trains that depart from this station and trains that go to and from Kita-Ayase. Exit the ticket gate. The bus stop at Ayase Station is located under the viaduct.

Bus routes to the surrounding areas run here, many of which are Tobu bus routes. There are no Tobu lines at Ayase Station, but the Sky Tree Line extends from the neighboring Kita-senju Station, and there are lines mainly along the line. Among them, stop No. 7 stands out.

While the other bus stop markers are square, this one is flat. And this is not a Tobu bus stop, but a bus stop for Asahi Motors, a company based in Saitama and Ibaraki. The line runs to Yashio Station on the Tsukuba Express Line, 5.4 km away.

While there are 4 to 5 trains per hour, only one goes to Yashio Station, and most end two stops before. It seems like it would be a good idea to go to Yashio Station if you only want to go to these two, but what is the reason?

Since this line is not a circular route, all passengers will be dropped off here. This bus runs approximately once every hour to the south exit of Yashio Station. There were 8 passengers on board. It’s a non-step bus, so getting on and off is very easy.

The seating capacity of this bus is 11 people. It can also accommodate 24 standing passengers and one crew member, making it a total of 36 passengers. The seating capacity of this bus is 11 people. It can also accommodate 24 standing passengers and one crew member, making it a total of 36 passengers.

There were 8 passengers, and I was also sitting, so there were still 2 seats available. Taking advantage of the vehicle’s quick turning radius, it can smoothly turn right at intersections.

On the other hand, there is a lot of on-street parking on the roads next to the viaduct, and there are times when you can’t proceed because you collide with oncoming vehicles.

Before we go any further, I would like to give an overview of this route and explain the identity of this seemingly common bus.

This bus, which connects Ayase Station and the south exit of Yashio Station, has most of its route in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, with only the final stop and the stop next to it in neighboring Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture. There is a reason why most buses turn around just before this point.

This bus is different from regular buses, and is one of the routes of the community bus “Harukaze” in Adachi Ward, Tokyo.

Harukaze is a bus that started operating in April 2000, and was the first to operate as a chartered bus between Ayase Station and Nishiarai Station, the main stations in Adachi Ward, and later transitioned to a regular shared bus. , the route was expanded. Currently, a total of 12 routes are in operation.

The routes are operated by five operators, and the routes vary depending on the route. Among them, Route 2 has an overwhelmingly large number of flights, which is an order of magnitude different from other routes.

There are routes with more passengers per flight due to the large number of flights, but the number of passengers per day is in the 2,000 range, which shows that the demand is high.

Since it is a community bus for Adachi Ward, the reason for not going to Yashio Station seems to be to reduce the number of buses that go outside the ward as much as possible.

The Harukaze bus, like the Minato Ward community bus “Chiibus” that was previously featured on this channel, was started for areas where it is difficult to use public transportation such as trains, but it has a major feature. The bus operator is operating the route proposed by Adachi City on a self-sustaining basis.

The ward’s support was limited to necessary bus stop preparation before the start of service, and there were no subsidies after the start of service. The fare system is the same as the general routes of each company, so there are differences depending on the route for Harukaze.

There are no common tickets for different operators, and the availability of IC cards varies. Each vehicle has its own unique model and coloring, and the word “Harukaze” is displayed on the exterior and some destination displays. On the other hand, this vehicle was introduced with assistance from Adachi Ward.

This vehicle is the small bus “Poncho” developed by Hino Motors.

This bus, which is said to be derived from the phrase “just ride on and go”, has its tires placed close to the four corners of the vehicle to minimize steps inside the bus, and is completely flat except for the rear seats, which accommodate four people.

I mentioned earlier that there will be no subsidy after the start of operation, but this is only until fiscal 2019. In recent years, fare revenues have been decreasing due to a decrease in the number of passengers, and problems such as aging vehicles have begun to emerge.

In order to maintain the route and frequency of the Harukaze train, which supports the lives of residents, a system was launched in 2020 to subsidize a portion of the bus purchase costs. Speaking of 2020, that infectious disease was spreading, and all means of transportation were being hit hard.

Target routes are those with a sales coefficient of over 100. The operating coefficient is the cost required to obtain 100 yen of income, and if it exceeds 100, you are in the red. By 2022, financial support has been provided to a total of 14 buses on routes excluding lines 3, 4 and 7.

In fiscal 2022, one EV bus was introduced to No. 6, which would reduce running costs. Furthermore, the city has promised not to reduce the number of buses on the routes for which it has provided financial support for five years.

The number of trains the Harukaze runs on varies greatly depending on the route, with the 2nd train having 4 to 5 trains per hour during the day, while some routes with fewer trains may only run several times a day, or only on certain days of the week.

In issue 2, we take a look at the rare bus going to Yashio Station and another route. At the east exit of Ayase Station, which I passed through earlier, there will be three more passengers.

If you pack the seats together, everyone can sit, but there are steps at the back, so some people will stand up. It doesn’t run on extremely narrow roads, and it runs solidly. Just as I thought so, it turned left onto a one-way street.

There is only one white line separating the sidewalk and the road, making it a tricky area to drive. Since the train going in the opposite direction cannot pass through the same place, it takes a slight detour through this road in the back. Although the driveway is slightly wider, there is no center line.

When passing an oncoming vehicle, it sticks out onto the sidewalk, and sometimes it cranks strangely, slowing down in places. Behind this is Kita-Ayase Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.

This is the only place other than Ayase and Yashio where you can transfer to the train, but only one person got on and no one got off. At this point, the route turns left and then circles around.

To your left is the track that leads to the Chiyoda Line depot, and there is an underpass that intersects at right angles. This route is a little detour in order to bypass that. And here we pass several cars waiting to meet up.

From here on, you will drive on roads with and without center lines. Three people got off near the apartment complex and all became seated. After that, one more person gets off in front of the disability welfare facility, and an empty seat becomes available in the non-step section.

Taking advantage of the vehicle’s agile turning body, it can turn neatly even at sharp intersections. Drive on a road with one lane on each side, which has a little room. There are vacant lots on both sides, probably due to expansion in the future.

Two people get off in front of a commercial facility, and two people get on at the same time. Meanwhile, the two people who got on the bus got off at the third stop.

It’s hard to say anything based on this flight alone, but by placing bus stops in consideration of locations such as commercial facilities, it seems that not only long-distance use but also short-distance use is expected. About 25 minutes from departure. Most buses will turn around at the next bus stop, Mutsugi Toju.

Also, if you board from Ayase Station, the fare will be 230 yen up to this point and 240 yen from here onwards. Depending on the bus stop you board, you are required to notify the driver when getting on the bus, and passengers who forgot to do so had to pay an additional fee.

In the video, it is cut while being sent, but here it stops for about 2 minutes. The bus stop also has a roof, which makes it clearly different from the others. There is a bus stopping next to the opposite lane. From here on, the distance between the bus stops becomes wider.

In addition, when Harukaze 2 started operating in January 2002, its final stop was Tsuzumi, Rotsugi. This is because the Tsukuba Express had not yet opened at that time. About five months after the Tsukuba Express opened in August 2005, some services were extended to the north exit of Yashio Station in January 2006.

In September 2009, the rotary at the south exit of Yashio Station was completed, so the boarding point was changed to the south exit. There were four passengers on board so far. I haven’t been able to keep track of who rides which sections, but they are mostly used for relatively short distances.

That bus will leave in a few minutes as a return trip. Due to the limited number of vehicles and crew, we cannot afford to stop for long periods of time. Yashio City’s community bus departs from the north exit.

This car’s nickname is clearly displayed, and even though it is the same type of vehicle as Harukaze, it is wrapped in its own unique design. Next up is Nishi-arai Station on the Tobu SKYTREE Line.

The route of Harukaze No. 1 is between Ayase and Nishi-arai, and it is a place that is closely related to Harukaze. In addition to No. 1, five lines depart from this station: No. 3, 7, 10, and 12.

This station is located near the center of Adachi Ward, so many lines are connected to it. The car I ride is Harukaze No. 3. This line goes to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station, the last stop on the Nippori Toneri Liner.

The stop is No. 5 at the west exit, which is a little far from the station. There are larger vehicles lined up at the bus stop in front of you, but vehicle number 3 is a small type.

This is the Isuzu “Journey”, an earlier model than the vehicle of No. 2 which I rode before. This is a vehicle similar to the Hino “Liesse”, the previous model of Hino “Poncho”.

This route is operated by Kokusai Kogyo Bus, and the coloring is the company’s standard, with only a few Harukaze signs on the front and sides. The interior of the train is two-step, making it more difficult to get in and out than the Poncho, but it also has a larger seating capacity. Let’s go!

There were four passengers, one of whom was a child with a guardian. Here is the route of Harukaze No. 3. Head northwest from Nishi-arai Station and connect with the Nippori-Toneri Liner at Toneri-Koen Station. We will detour around the west side of the route and return to Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen.

This line began operating in July 2003, about a year and a half after Harukaze 2, and some route changes were made with the opening of the Nippori-Toneri liner in March 2008. Small vehicles are used because there are sections of the road that are narrow.

The route takes about 35 minutes during the day, and the morning service takes up to 40 minutes, perhaps due to traffic congestion. The number of buses per day is 12 one way and 24 round trip. During the day, only one bus is needed, and the service runs every hour and a half.

Harukaze No. 2 has 156 trains on weekdays and 142 trains on weekends and holidays, so the difference in the number of trains is large. From Nishiarai Station, drive on a road with many lanes for about 1 km, then turn right onto a road with one lane in each direction.

Because the front and rear wheels of this vehicle are relatively close together, the minimum turning radius of this vehicle is 5.8m, which is the smallest among vehicles of its type, making it extremely agile. Therefore, it was useful mainly for community buses that pass through narrow roads and intersections.

I opened the door here, but it closed immediately. This is the Nishiarai Station garage bus stop, but it is a Tobu bus garage, not a Kokusai Kogyo bus garage. Nearby is Daishimae Station on the Tobu Daishi Line.

The reason why the station name is not used as the bus stop name seems to be because there is another bus stop with Daishimae. It passes by a regular bus. Although the number of lanes has been reduced, the road is still suitable for normal-sized buses, but there are curves here and there.

This area is commonly known as Nanamagari, and you will be shaken quite a lot. The guardrail that separates it from the sidewalk has also disappeared before you know it, so you will have to be careful when driving.

From here, the road curves from right to left, turns left and right at the intersection, and continues through small curves. After production of this model ended, there were cases where the successor model Poncho could not take the same route, and some buses were forced to change routes.

After about 1km of these roads, we finally reach a larger road. Behind this, there are vacant lots here and there, and you can see that there are road maintenance plans.

Up to this point, only one person got on and off the bus, but three people will get on at the next bus stop near the elementary school. There were now 8 passengers, but there were so many seats that no one was standing.

After driving for about 500m, there will be no more houses on the side of the road. Yes, this is Toneri Park, one of the largest parks in Adachi Ward. There were a lot of people as it was a sunny day on a holiday. Here, you will pass under the Nippori-Toneri Liner viaduct.

It’s a delicious video development, with the train running at just the right time. Over there, the number of trains is overwhelmingly higher, with a 6-minute interval during the day. The Tonerikoen Station bus stop is located on the west side of the main street in both directions. Five people get off at once.

As it is a two-step bus, it may be difficult for elderly people to get off the bus. The number of passengers suddenly decreased and there were only three people left. From here on, we will steadily drive through the industrial park.

In the case of this flight, there was a group of passengers getting on and off from the elementary school to Toneri Park, and other than that, passengers got on and off one by one, and the number of people did not increase all at once, and no one stood up until the end. was.

On the other hand, on narrow roads, I often have to stop at places without traffic lights, and I have to be careful when passing bicycles on places where there are no guardrails separating them from the sidewalk.

After merging with the main street and passing under the Nippori-Toneri Liner viaduct, you will arrive at the final stop: Minumadai-Shinsui-Koen Station. There is a bus terminal on the west side here, where you can board and drop off passengers. The bus will stop here for about 10 minutes and then return to Nishi-arai Station.

And now, Harukaze No. 3, and Harukaze itself, is in a big crisis. It has been decided that Harukaze 3 will cease operating on March 31st of this year. As shown in the diagram at the beginning, the number of users of issue 3 is one of the smaller among the Harukaze issues.

There are several reasons why the route was discontinued. First, the route itself is in the red. The current fleet is aging, and even with vehicle purchase subsidies from the ward, it is far from profitable and it is difficult to replace the vehicle.

As mentioned earlier, there are some routes that are not subsidized with the subsidy provided by Adachi City for the purchase of vehicles on routes that are in the red, but these are not necessarily in the black.

The reason seems to be that once the subsidy is received, the number of trains cannot be reduced for five years, and the route cannot be abolished. And there’s a more serious problem.

From April of this year, as part of work style reforms for bus drivers, it will be necessary to shorten working hours and increase break times, which will exacerbate the driver shortage.

Recently, it is said that there has been an exodus of human resources to tourist buses, which have escaped the effects of the infectious disease. Last December, Osaka’s bus company, which was suffering from a driver shortage, canceled all 15 routes.

In addition, some sections of No. 11 will cease service at the end of March, and all sections of No. 10 will cease operation on March 29th. These are the three points cited by the operators operating these two routes.

At the same time that welfare passes lead to a decrease in fare income, there seems to be a serious shortage of drivers. In addition, if wages are raised to secure human resources, the entire increase will be borne by the bus company, which will put pressure on the bus company.

Under the current framework of the Harukaze train, it is not possible to compensate for the deficit caused by its operation or the shortage of drivers with subsidies.

Since it is no longer possible to maintain the current number of trains due to stricter labor regulations, we have no choice but to prioritize routes with high profitability and abolish routes that are in the red and cannot be compensated for.

In the case of Harukaze, even though it is a community bus, the circumstances are similar to those on regular bus routes. It has also been decided that No. 7 will be abolished by the end of 2024.

This route has received subsidies for the purchase of new vehicles in the past, and it should not be possible to abolish or reduce the number of flights for five years, but will the subsidies received be returned?

The issue of abolition of deficit lines with low ridership has become an unavoidable issue not only for local trains and buses, but also for central Tokyo. Thank you for your viewing.

●チャプター
0:00 オープニング
0:12 綾瀬駅のバス乗り場
0:50 7番のりばから出るバス
2:23 コミュニティバス「はるかぜ号」
3:35 はるかぜ号の特徴
4:21 補助制度スタート
5:57 はるかぜ2号の走行中の様子
10:09 西新井駅からはるかぜ3号に乗ります
11:31 はるかぜ3号の概要
12:29 走行中の様子
13:35 激セマ道路と改修された道路
14:17 舎人公園駅
15:09 走行中の様子
16:03 はるかぜ号の危機

●当チャンネルについて
このチャンネルでは、鉄道の路線や駅、車両などを丁寧に解説しています。
全ての動画にYouTubeの字幕をつけているので、字幕オンでもご視聴いただけます。
首都圏を中心にしつつ、日本全国出張します。

●チャンネル登録はこちら
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGN9HBXYwSUThdIgHSm9znQ/?sub_confirmation=1

●お仕事のご依頼・リクエストはこちら
takagirailwaycontact@gmail.com

●ナレーション
CeVIO AI 小春六花
https://tokyo6.tokyo/koharurikka/