Photo/Illutration An MR430 used for services until the early 1980s in Asahikawa, Hokkaido (Photo taken by Yukio Wada)

ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido—A bus operator here is trying to reinvigorate the industry by fully restoring a rare vehicle from the high-flying 1960s, design flaw and all.

Asahikawa Denkikido Co. started repairing a long-abandoned MR430 bus more than a year ago and will spend enough money on the project to buy two new cars.

The bus was built by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. in 1963. It is one of only an estimated 15 produced nationwide.

Sporting blue patterns on the silver body, the 11.9-meter long, six-wheeled bus has three axles, two in the front and one in the rear.

It is about a meter longer than today’s large buses that typically have two axles.

The MR430 features parallelogram windows, making it reminiscent of the Greyhound long-distance bus used in the United States.

Rivets covering the body give MR430 a unique appearance.

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An MR430 is brought to a maintenance factory in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, for restoration on June 11, 2021. (Provided by Asahikawa Denkikido Co.)

According to Koichi Sakai, chief of the transport division at the bus operator, the MR430’s design was ordered by now-defunct Asahikawa Bus, which received three of the 15 buses and merged with Asahikawa Denkikido in 1968.

The bus had been used mainly by students on a route connecting Asahikawa Station and Asahikawa Kita High School until around 1983.

“I think the bus didn’t become widely used because its long body made it impossible to make turns at small intersections,” Sakai said.

The MR430 had been left abandoned for many years on the premises of an auto repair company in Higashikawa, just east of Asahikawa. The company in June last year asked Asahikawa Denkikido to take over the vehicle.

Asahikawa Denkikido initially intended to restore only the exterior, but some employees said they might as well make the bus operational again.

The company decided to fully restore the bus as part of a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1926.

But the body was rusted, and replacement parts were difficult to find.

The project team turned to social media to collect information on abandoned buses around Japan and asked their owners to provide components that could be used for the MR430.

The frame that supports the MR430’s body was effectively remade from scratch.

The team managed to start the engine in spring this year and is currently doing interior repair work, such as installing wooden flooring.

The company plans to complete the project in September or October.

It also said a major travel agency inquired about using the restored MR430 for group tours.

“We hope that an increasing number of people will be interested in buses through our efforts. That is the purpose of this project,” Sakai said.

Although the repair work is basically closed to the public, the company once allowed students from the automotive engineering course at Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School to observe the restoration process.

The bus industry is facing labor shortages for drivers, maintenance workers and other personnel.

“We hope that people find bus riding is a fun thing to do and also become interested in the driving and maintenance work after riding the rare vehicle,” Sakai added.

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An MR430 undergoes repairs in a maintenance factory in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, on July 19 this year. (Kazuya Miki)

Yukio Wada, editor-in-chief of bus magazine “Busrama International,” said the MR430 was a unique vehicle dedicated to mass transport in the high-growth era.

Its front twin-axle setup, a rare structure, was rationally designed to disperse the weight of passengers, he said.

“(Asahikawa Denkikido) made a wise decision to restore the vehicle to working condition. I expect the use of the bus to help raise the profile and recognition of the local bus company,” Wada said.

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