JR Bus

Bus operations of the Japan Railways Group companies
Neoplan operated by JR Bus Kanto
Substitution bus for temporarily suspended Etsumi North Line railway operated by West JR Bus
Several buses operated by JR Bus Kanto parked at Tokyo Station in November 2022

JR Bus collectively refers to the bus operations of Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies in Japan. JR Bus is operated by eight regional companies, each owned by a JR railway company. JR Bus companies provide regional, long distance, and chartered bus services.

List of companies

Bus company Operation area Parent company
JR Hokkaido Bus Company Hokkaidō region Hokkaido Railway Company
JR Bus Tohoku Company Tōhoku region East Japan Railway Company
JR Bus Kanto Company Kantō region
JR Tokai Bus Company Tōkai region Central Japan Railway Company
West Japan JR Bus Company Hokuriku region, Kansai region West Japan Railway Company
Chugoku JR Bus Company Chūgoku region
JR Shikoku Bus Company Shikoku region Shikoku Railway Company
JR Kyushu Bus Company Kyūshū region Kyushu Railway Company

History

The Ministry of Railways of Japan started its first bus operation in Aichi Prefecture in 1930 and gradually expanded bus routes. The Japanese National Railways (JNR), public corporation established in 1949, succeeded the bus operations, then called Kokutetsu Bus or JNR Bus. In 1987, JNR was divided into regional railway companies together with its bus operations. JR companies later separated their bus operations to subsidiaries in 1988 (JR East, JR Central, JR West), 2000 (JR Hokkaido), 2001 (JR Kyushu) and 2004 (JR Shikoku).

Examples of vehicles

Regional route vehicles

  • JR Hokkaidō bus 521-4956
    JR Hokkaidō bus 521-4956
  • JR Bus Tohoku 531-9452
    JR Bus Tohoku 531-9452
  • JR Bus Kanto L534-97506
    JR Bus Kanto L534-97506
  • JR Tokai Bus 328-8902
    JR Tokai Bus 328-8902
  • Nishinihon JR Bus 537-1909
    Nishinihon JR Bus 537-1909
  • Chugoku JR Bus 534-5969
    Chugoku JR Bus 534-5969
  • JR Shikoku Bus 531-2911
    JR Shikoku Bus 531-2911
  • JR Kyushu Bus 521-21602
    JR Kyushu Bus 521-21602

Expressway route vehicles

JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus and Chugoku JR Bus share a common livery based on the JNR Bus livery.

  • JR Hokkaido Bus 644-5822
    JR Hokkaido Bus 644-5822
  • JR Bus Tohoku H654-02406
    JR Bus Tohoku H654-02406
  • JR Bus Kanto H654-07417
    JR Bus Kanto H654-07417
  • JR Tokai Bus 747-05952
    JR Tokai Bus 747-05952
  • Nishinihon JR Bus 749-8913
    Nishinihon JR Bus 749-8913
  • Chugoku JR Bus 641-5906
    Chugoku JR Bus 641-5906
  • JR Shikoku Bus 694-8950
    JR Shikoku Bus 694-8950
  • JR Kyushu Bus 748-06558
    JR Kyushu Bus 748-06558

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to JR Bus.
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20151203224900/http://www.kakuyasubus.jp/ (jointly operated by JR Bus companies for promotion of intercity buses) (in Japanese)
  • v
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  • e
Predecessors
Ministry of Industry
Cabinet
Home Ministry
Ministry of Communications
Ministry of Railways
Ministry of Transport and Communications [ja]
Ministry of Transport
Japanese National Railways
Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation
JNR Settlement Corporation
Passenger Railway Companies The logo of Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). JR Hokkaido Logo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East The logo of the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). JR Central Logo of the West Railway Company (JR West) JR West The logo of Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). JR Shikoku Logo of the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). JR Kyushu
JR Bus Companies JR Hokkaido Bus JR Bus Tohoku
JR Bus Kanto [ja]
JR Bustech [ja]
JR Tokai Bus West JR Bus [ja]
West Japan JR Bus Service [ja]
Chugoku JR Bus [ja]
Hikari Guru Rin Bus [ja]
JR Shikoku Bus [ja] JR Kyushu Bus [ja]
Smart cards Kitaca Suica
Mobile Suica
TOICA
EX-IC
ICOCA ICOCA (SHIKOKU ICOCA) SUGOCA
Shinkansen lines Hokkaido Shinkansen Tōhoku Shinkansen
Jōetsu Shinkansen
Hokuriku Shinkansen
Tokaido Shinkansen
Chūō Shinkansen
San'yō Shinkansen
Hokuriku Shinkansen
Shikoku Shinkansen [ja](proposed) Kyushu Shinkansen
Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen
Railway museums Hokkaido Railway Technology Museum [ja] Railway Museum
Ome Railway Park
SCMaglev and Railway Park Kyoto Railway Museum
Tsuyama Railroad Educational Museum
Shikoku Railway Cultural Center [ja] Kyushu Railway History Museum
Rolling stock manufacturers - Japan Transport Engineering Company
(J-TREC)
Nippon Sharyo Kinki Sharyo (partner) - -
International operations - West Midlands Trains (14.95%) - - - -
Other organizations JR Freight Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) Railway Information Systems (JR Systems) [ja] Railway Telecommunication

SoftBank
Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT)