Nishitetsu and Mitsubishi Corporation has established a joint company to test an “on-demand bus” service in Island City, Fukuoka. The bus, which doesn’t have a fixed schedule or routes, operates according to passengers’ needs. When users send their current location and destination via a special application, the system will reply with a “meeting point” and estimated waiting time calculated by AI. The fare ranges between ¥200 and ¥400 and credit card payment will be accepted online in addition to the conventional IC and cash payments. Five wagons will run 6:00~22:00 mainly in Island City, Higashi-ku for a year from late April. This will be the first pay-on-demand bus to be introduced in an urban area of Japan. Source: Nishitetsu Group, 3/13/2019
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