2024 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages A_80-A_88
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the present situation of municipal involvements in the consolidated transportation projects of passengers and cargos in Japan initiated during 2011-2021. Those projects using route buses and taxies by alliance of transportation and package delivery companies were analyzed based on the questionnaire surveys over the relevant municipal authorities. The principal findings are as follows: a) Although the degree of involvement of municipalities in the projects are various, the municipalities with deep involvement are all in depopulated regions. b) Most projects are operated only by alliances among private companies. c) A few municipalities actually incorporate the consolidated transportation of passengers and cargos in the relevant municipal plans to promote smooth consensus building among stakeholders. d) The national/prefectural subsidies to the projects are only utilized for the demonstration experiments. Based on these findings, this paper emphasizes the necessity of municipal involvement in the projects based on the recognition of that cargo transportation holds a fundamental position in local living environment in the depopulated regions, and the enhancement system to induce the benefit of those municipalities to take part in the projects.
