A Survey about the Establishment of Temporary Local Bus Routes in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Its Future Issues –Focus on Sendai Airport Limousine–

Abstract

Japanese society was heavily damaged by Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. At the same time, public transportation systems were also heavily harmed. Although other public transportation systems, like railways and aviation, required several months for the restoration, local bus routes were restored at the very beginning. The reasons and their stories of post disaster restoration of local bus were investigated in this study. We interviewed person responsible for local bus, such as local bus staff, staff of local governments. The primarily aim of this study is to summarize and record the actions and emotions of people concerned to local bus from soon after the disaster to a month after the disaster. This study focused on the qualitative data to describe the establishment activity of Sendai Airport Limousine, temporary established local bus route. This route was the government led program aimed to connect the Sendai Airport and Sendai central Station.