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The aging society, a shift to a welfare-oriented society and expanding international exchanges require Japan to construct a more comfortable public transportation system that can be easily used by all people including aged and handicapped persons, foreign visitors and people accompanying infants.
Japan is now shifting to an unprecedented aged society. In 2015, a quarter of Japanese will be aged 65 or more. Disabled persons now account for only 2.8% of Japan's population, but this figure is increasing in line with the aging groups. As the number of aged and disabled persons increases with their social participation growing, these people will have more opportunities to use public transportation systems. But many of such people feel that the present public transportation facilities are inconvenient (Figures 20 and Figures 21).
The elimination of differences in levels at transportation
terminals, introduction of non-step or lift-equipped buses and other measures
for vertical moving have been promoted, however, their more systematic development
is requested. (At the end of FY 1997, elevators and escalators were installed
at 9.0% and 16.2% of railway stations of the Japan Railway group, major private
railway companies, the Teito Rapid Transit Authority and public subways) (Table
22).
In line with facilities for each transportation mode, differences in levels
should be eliminated at railway station squares, neighboring roads and terminal
surroundings through which disabled persons pass when transferring from one
transportation mode to another. New transportation services should be introduced
for some disabled persons who now have no public transportation means to use.
It is desirable to promote these measures for barrier-free transportation in
line with regional measures.
(1) Barrier-Free Transportation Terminals
The Ministry of Transport has worked out guidelines for the development
of facilities, under which transportation businesses are taking advantage of
subsidies through the Foundation for Transportation Ecology and Mobility, special
equipment depreciation for corporate taxes and other public assistance to promote
the installation of elevators and other equipment to facilitate handicapped
persons' mobility. For people with visual or hearing difficulties, businesses
are installing audio guidance systems, guidance and warning blocks, LED (1ight-emitting
diode) displays and other facilities. In future, they should take fine-tuned
measures including the unification of colors for guidance and warning blocks
at platforms and concourses to ensure their continuity (Table
23).
(2) Barrier-Free Surroundings of Transportation Terminals
All barriers to mobility should be eliminated at facilities, squares, roads
and other surroundings of transportation terminals serving as links between
transportation modes. For example, a roof may be constructed on a transfer pathway
between a bus stop and a railway gate. Such barrier-eliminating measures should
be integrated with regional town construction projects to improve the convenience
and comfort of the whole public transportation system (Table
24).
(3) Barrier-Free Vehicles
Efforts are being made to remove barriers to handicapped persons in bus and
taxi services that are the most familiar for such people. Transportation service
operators are taking advantage of Ministry of Transport subsidies, assistance
of the Foundation for Transportation Ecology and Mobility, special equipment
depreciation for corporate taxes and other measures to introduce non-step, ramp-equipped
or lift-equipped buses and taxis (Figure
25).
As well as hardware measures including the construction of
facilities, software measures like special transportation services and information
services are important.
(1) Special Transportation Services (STS)
Special transportation services are fine-tuned services for handicapped
individuals who cannot use the omnibus, taxi or other conventional public transportation
services. Present STS include door-to-door, regular route and public facility
tour services. STS operators include welfare taxi companies and local governments.
Local governments and others concerned will have to cooperate in diffusing and
expanding STS, based on consideration given to profitability of services, public
assistance, welfare organizations' involvement and other matters (Table
26).
(2) Providing Easy-to-Understand Transportation Information
Geographic information including locations of stations and terminals, as
well as transportation information such as fares and transfers, should be made
fully available in advance to allow disabled persons to use public transportation
without any serious hindrances. While local governments prepared guide maps,
the Ministry of Transport considered the standardization of information service
details and methods at Yotsuya Station as the model and created model guide
maps in FY 1997.
Conceivable measures to promote public transportation that are easy to understand
and use include (1) unification of pictogram displays that differ from one service
operator or facility to another ; (2) unification of bus route numbers and names
on routes for multiple service operators, and distribution of brief bus service
maps at railway stations ; (3) giving systematic serial numbers to routes and
stations for the complex metropolitan subway network ; and (4) giving serial
numbers to platforms at stations for multiple railway companies. Government
agencies and others involved will have to cooperate in considering the promotion
of these measures from a wide range of viewpoints (Figure
27).
(3) Improving People's Awareness of the Importance of Barrier-Free Transportation
As in European and North American countries, people in Japan should become
more aware of disabled persons and give them physical help, advice and other
assistance at transportation terminals. The Foundation for Transportation Ecology
and Mobility has opened a transportation volunteer class to diffuse and promote
voluntary services.
(4) Fare Discounts for Disabled Passengers
Transportation service operators have voluntarily offered discounted fares
for disabled persons to reduce their financial burden and increase their social
participation. But the difficult business situation and the limit on the burden
of discounts for disabled persons on ordinary passengers have led to arguments
for government welfare measures to finance such discounts.
As the market for aged people expands, the Japan Railway group and some
bus service operators are offering discounts for sales policy purposes to stimulate
aged people's demand (Table 28).
(1) Community Buses, Omnibus Towns, Light Railway Transit
New community bus services to meet the daily needs of regional residents
are mostly barrier-free. Under the omnibus town scheme as promoted by the Ministry
of Transport, the City of Hamamatsu introduced non-step buses in FY 1997.
The light railway transit has been introduced in Europe and North America
as a new street-car system that is easy for disabled persons to use and environmentally
friendly. In Japan, the City of Kumamoto has introduced the LRT and Hiroshima
Electric Railway is planning to introduce it using central government subsidies.
(2) Utilization of Information and Communication Technologies
Systems for assistance to disabled persons are being developed using personal
handy-phone system technologies. Also under development are non-touch automatic
ticket-checking systems using integrated circuit cards, and common prepaid cards
covering different transportation modes and companies. Their introduction is
expected to help ease congestion at wickets and improve convenience for disabled
persons (Figure 29).
The installation of elevators and other vertical moving measures
are physically and financially difficult because it is frequently difficult
to get space for such facilities and these measures require some space and exorbitant
costs. Transportation businesses may have to take advantage of local government
subsidies and other public assistance and cooperate with the government sector
to promote effective, efficient measures meeting needs.
The businesses may also have to take the expansion of the market for aged
people in the aging society as their business opportunity and consider improving
existing services and introducing new services.
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