According to a report issued by the Kyushu Transportation Bureau, the number of highway tour bus operators servicing Kyushu will be limited to 10 once a new shared bus system is put into effect on Aug. 1 About 25 bus companies were providing highway tour bus services as of last summer, but obligations under the new system will increase costs and reduce the number of bus operators by over half. When it surveyed bus operators last December about the new system, the Kyushu Transportation Bureau found that 17 companies indicated plans to continue running a total of 130 buses per day, but only 10 companies applied for permits from the national government. As such, the number of daily tour buses is expected to drop to 68. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism agreed to implement the new shared tour bus system after a tour bus accident on the Kan-Etsu Expressway last April. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, July 24
