It was learned on February 20, 2024 that the Kyoto City Transportation Bureau is considering the possibility of operating a ''sightseeing express bus'' starting in June, which would cost more than twice the flat section fare of city buses. The route starts from Kyoto Station and mainly passes through Kiyomizu-dera Temple, stopping only at bus stops closest to major stations and tourist spots. The fare is expected to be 500 yen (250 yen for children), with the aim of separating citizens from tourists and easing congestion. This is the first time that a fare difference has been introduced on a route with a flat fare (230 yen).
In June 2023, Kyoto City asked the national government to introduce a flexible bus fare system as a measure against overtourism. In December of last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism revised the Road Transport Act Enforcement Regulations, and regulations for regularly operating tourist routes were relaxed from a permit system to a notification system.
It is believed to be the first in the nation to introduce new fares following a review of the system. The sightseeing express bus is expected to travel from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ginkaku-ji Temple, and other areas. The detailed route is yet to be considered, but the emphasis will be on going directly to tourist spots, and the number of stops will be limited.
The fare is expected to be set at 500 yen (adult), which is about 2.2 times the fare for the flat rate section. Anyone can use it, regardless of whether they are a citizen or a tourist, but the policy is that senior citizen passes and bus tickets cannot be used. On the other hand, by making it possible to use the ''subway/bus one-day pass'' (1,100 yen for adults), which is often purchased by tourists, and by creating new routes that are beneficial to tourists, we will be moving away from buses, which are the daily routes of citizens. We aim to guide people.
In Kyoto City, ''express lines'' that stopped at fewer bus stops used to run regularly, but there were no fare differences. The express buses currently running as temporary services also have the same fares. The new timetable for city buses, including sightseeing express trains, is scheduled to be announced in late March.
