By EIJI ZAKODA/ Staff Writer
September 9, 2022 at 07:00 JST
The MMsmartBusStop system developed by YE Digital Corp. and Nishitetsu M-Tech Co. is shown in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. (Provided by YE Digital Corp.)
With 530,000 bus stops scattered across the country, most of which are marked by boards and sheets of paper to display schedules and routes, making updates by hand constitutes a tedious and time-consuming task.
But now bus operators are getting “smart” by displaying real-time schedules and operations on liquid crystal panels for the convenience of not only passengers but also staff members who formerly had the job of posting any changes manually.
A digitized system developed by Yaskawa Electric Corp.-affiliated computer system provider YE Digital Corp. in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, working in tandem with Nishitetsu M-Tech Co., a Fukuoka-based group firm of Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., was put in place by 17 operators from Aomori to Kumamoto prefectures by the end of February.
Around 20 more are planning to introduce the MMsmartBusStop service this fiscal year.
“Employees got very tired of replacing old schedules by hand,” said a YE Digital representative. “Our system has won broad acceptance in the industry and is contributing to work style reform.”
At old-style traditional bus stops, schedules must be replaced to reflect updates, a process that must be undertaken late at night after the last runs of the day, imposing a heavy burden on transportation enterprises.
MMsmartBusStop is connected to the internet so schedules and other information can be altered simply by clicking on the site. Foreign language versions are available, too, that provide an explanation for any abrupt suspension of operations.
The move to smart bus stops started in 2019, leading to its adoption among transport service providers in Aomori, Iwate and Kumamoto prefectures, as well as elsewhere. In some areas, the display system is incorporated into tram stations.
Close to 100 units are already in service throughout the country, and the figure is expected to reach 150 by the end of this fiscal year.
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