Abstract
This study clarified the role of community bus in maintaining and fostering social capital among residents and elderly people in a depopulated mountainous area in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture, and the challenges they face. The results of statistical analysis based on questionnaires and interviews indicated that the continuous operation of community bus is effective in fostering social capital by creating social ties through the expansion of information and networks. The results also indicated that social capital can be further fostered if the connections and networks that exist in the region and community are brought into the community bus service. While many people consider community bus to be a "means of transportation" in the current situation, the need for community bus in the future is much greater than the current need, with more than half of the respondents in both districts indicating that community bus will contribute to the establishment of a safe and secure transportation environment for the elderly and play an important role in providing a "place of connection" during transportation. This is an important role.
