Problems Caused by the Parallel Running of Railways and Buses in Sparsely Populated Areas

Abstract

There are numerous cases all over Japan where railways and buses run in parallel for a long distance; both lines show a deficit in sparsely populated areas. I note the following problems based on the above-mentioned circumstances. First, bus companies receive subsidies from the central and local governments, while the burden of maintaining a local public transport service is shifting to railway companies. Second, the total number of trains and buses exceeds demand. Third, the existing subsidy system supports such circumstances.