Hikers' feet disappear! Access to nearby low mountains faces a critical situation due to bus route abolition.

Long lines of hikers on weekends. The bus route scheduled for abolition.

The Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu "No08" bus route connects Fujino Station on the JR Chuo Line with the Wada bus stop, traveling upstream along the Sawai River, a tributary of the Sagami River. This local bus operates seven round trips on weekdays and eight round trips on Saturdays and holidays. The higher frequency on weekends is likely due to the greater number of passengers boarding and alighting. Many of these passengers are hikers enjoying mountains such as Mt. Jinba and Mt. Shoto.

Mt. Jinba (855m) is a mountain widely known as an accessible hiking course in the metropolitan area. Its spacious summit lives up to its alternative name, Jinba Plateau, and the grand panorama stretching from Mt. Fuji to the metropolitan area never fails to impress. Several teahouses at the summit enhance the mountain journey atmosphere. While many hikers enjoy Mt. Jinba on its own, the traverse from Mt. Takao over peaks like Shiroyama and Kagenobuyama is also popular. On the other hand, more seasoned hikers can enjoy sophisticated routes combining Mt. Jinba with Mt. Mikuni and Mt. Shoto, which circle the northernmost part of Kanagawa Prefecture. Furthermore, those confident in their stamina sometimes continue beyond Mt. Shoto to connect with the Sasao Ridge along the Yamanashi-Tokyo border in one continuous hike, demonstrating how this mountain offers various enjoyment depending on one's approach.

Now, in June of last year, Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu (hereinafter referred to as Kanachu) submitted a proposal to Sagamihara City, a designated city in Kanagawa Prefecture. This proposal involved a significant withdrawal of routes in the northwestern part of the city, an area that is currently part of Midori Ward, the former Tsukuigun area.

Among these, all regular Kanachu bus routes departing from and arriving at Fujino Station on the JR Chuo Line were designated for complete abolition. Specifically, this includes the aforementioned "No08" route to Wada, as well as routes to Sagamiko Station, Okumakino, and Yamanami Onsen. If the plan is implemented, only one route, the Nagura loop operated by Fuji Express Bus, will depart from and arrive at JR Fujino Station.

The reason for the abolition is said to be a labor shortage. The stated reason is to cope with the decrease in drivers. Certainly, there must have been a serious labor shortage, but this case, where almost all routes in one area are abolished simultaneously, appears to be solely a profit-first policy, likely aiming even for the abolition of the Tsukui sales office in the future, rather than just a labor shortage (it should also be noted that Kanachu maintains quite excellent financial health while many route bus companies are operating at a loss).

Some people think that Kanachu, being part of the Odakyu Group, could have easily abandoned this area since it is far from the Odakyu Line. In reality, this area has no connection to campaigns like the "Tanzawa-Mt. Oyama Free Pass" conducted along the Odakyu Line, and there has been no effort to increase passengers or improve services here.

In any case, many residents along the bus routes feel that the situation is unreasonable, expressing anger and resignation.

Furthermore, some people mentioned new anxieties. The point is whether the reduction in public transportation will lead to an increase in hikers using private cars. Parking for tourism purposes in the Fujino area is limited, and there are already people who are using vacant lots or contract parking spaces without permission. Just recently, a car was parked in a dentist's parking lot, preventing the owner from leaving. There is a concern that the abolition of the route bus will accelerate the increase in illegal parking.

The abolition of route buses like this. In the past, such a situation would have been stopped by administrative action and would have been unthinkable, but the lowering of the hurdle for route abolition due to the liberalization carried out by the Koizumi cabinet is also one of the contributing factors. Although this is something I would like to investigate deeply, I will not touch upon it further here.

The alternative shared taxi has a maximum capacity of 8 people; what will happen to hikers?

At the briefing session for residents held by the city at the end of August, specific routes and timetables for the shared taxi plan as alternative transportation were proposed, and a demonstration experiment is scheduled to start this October. On the other hand, we were also informed that the route bus will almost certainly disappear in March of Reiwa 9 (2027). It seems the only remaining step is to notify the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The shared taxi, which will serve as the alternative transportation for the route bus, is operated by the city, but the system actually involves making reservations with the operating company. In addition to telephone reservations, online reservations are also possible. Moreover, the routes are different from the current bus routes. The fares are fundamentally higher than the bus fares. They are higher than taking a shared taxi. Furthermore, the fare structure is more expensive for users coming from outside the city.

What makes one feel a slight sense of progress is that the area north of Fujino Station toward Wada and Yamanami Onsen south of Fujino Station have been directly connected by a single route. This seems likely to match the needs of many people who wish to relax or celebrate after hiking at the hot spring.

However, a major obstacle remains for this shared taxi plan for which no solution is in sight. That is the fact that even large vehicles have a capacity of only about 8 people. Unfortunately, no additional vehicles have been deployed, and there is a high probability that they will fill up quickly.

In the past, even during the time of the former Fujino Town before its merger with Sagamihara City, Kanachu (Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu) reduced its routes. At that time, the Fujino Town-operated bus, which had a large capacity, was in service, but Sagamihara City did not seem to consider transportation by bus vehicles, and it disappeared after the merger. While they could operate buses during the era of a small town, the shift to operation with smaller vehicles after becoming a designated city was already a decline in administrative service, and even at this juncture, operation with larger vehicles is not being considered.

Furthermore, when I checked at Fujino Station on the morning of Golden Week this year around 8 AM, hikers formed a long line for the bus bound for Wada, and even the large bus was full to capacity, leaving behind hikers who looked dissatisfied because they could not board (previously, extra buses were added, but none were seen that day). It seems extremely unreasonable to change a route that has at least several dozen passengers to one accommodating a maximum of 8 people. I cited the example of the Wada route, but other routes also have a considerable number of tourist users, which cannot be managed with just 6-seater vehicles.

A representative from the Sagamihara City Tourism Policy Division was also present at the briefing session. The city stated that they are separately considering transportation means for tourists (including hikers and mountain climbers) and are consulting with the local Fujino Tourism Association; however, unfortunately, no concrete proposals were presented. Moreover, this separate transportation for tourists only considered passengers heading toward Mt. Jinba, and there was no sign that tourists heading toward Yamanami Onsen on the discontinued route were being considered.

During the observation mentioned above, most passengers were hikers, but there were people getting off at intermediate stops as well as the final stop, and people boarding too. I can only think of the route bus as a transportation system capable of meeting those needs, but what kind of measures will be announced, and when?

Trial operation of alternative transportation starts in October.

In this way, a trial operation is scheduled to begin this October while there is absolutely no prospect for a solution for tourists and hikers. While the conventional Kanachu bus will operate according to the timetable, a shared taxi will operate instead. However, what the trial operation intends to demonstrate was not clearly understood even at the briefing session. The outlook for how the results will be utilized also remains unclear. I fear that the trial operation might become merely a formality to say, "We conducted a trial operation."

On the other hand, the timing for the abolition of the Kanachu route bus is clearly set for March of Reiwa 9 (2027). A reduction in service might begin even before that.

While I want to point out that Kanachu, which decided on the route abolition, has left a significant problem for the community, the stance of Sagamihara City, which speaks of achieving better community transportation, is also important. Will things truly become better?

People who use or have used routes scheduled for discontinuation for hiking or similar activities, we strongly request that you submit your opinions to the Sagamihara City Transportation Policy Division.