is a
public transportation
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
company based in
Gifu
is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...
,
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It is a subsidiary of
Nagoya Railroad
, referred to as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan.
Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of which off ...
and primarily operates within Gifu Prefecture. Some of its public transportation routes within the city of Gifu were handed over by
Meitetsu Bus
is a bus company in the Meitetsu Group.
Bus Lines Highway Buses
*Chuo Highway Bus
**Meitetsu BC - Shinjuku
**Meitetsu BC - Iida
**Meitetsu BC - Ina, Komagane, Minowa
**Meitetsu BC - Matsumoto
**Meitetsu BC - Nagano
**Meitetsu BC - Niig ...
on October 1, 2004. On April 1, 2005, it also received the public bus routes run by the city. At the same time, it also replaced bus lines in nearby cities and began operating the Gifu Community Bus.
Branch offices
Gifu Bus operates 11 offices in the area, three of which are located within the city of Gifu. The other locations within Gifu Prefecture include
Yamagata,
Mino,
Seki,
Gujō,
Kakamigahara and
Ginan. The final location is in neighboring
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...
's
Nishiharu.
Drivers' nameplates indicate the branch to which they belong, so some nameplates indicate branch offices that have been closed, moved or merged and are not included in the list above.
Fares
Gifu Bus' local routes are divided into regions and fares vary based on the distance traveled between the boarding and unboarding locations. The base fare is 200
yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
, though reduced fares are available for children and the elderly. Riders can take a numbered ticket when boarding the bus, with their fare indicated on a board at the front of the bus as they get off.
Until March 31, 2007, riders were able to use prepaid fare cards to pay for their fare. These cards were available in various denominations and offered riders a bonus of 5–15%, depending on the denomination purchased. These prepaid cards were replaced by the ''Ayuca''
smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
s, which first went on sale on December 1, 2006. Like the prepaid cards, these smart cards replaced cash and gave bonuses to riders when they recharged their cards. Both systems were used simultaneously for four months until the prepaid cards were stopped.
Vehicles
The majority of the buses in use were made by
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, because those were the buses used by Nagoya Railroad when the routes began. However, the buses run by Gifu were models made by either
Isuzu or
Nissan Diesel
UD Trucks Corporation (UDトラックス株式会社, ''UD Torakkusu Kabushikigaisha'') is a Japanese company whose principal business is the manufacturing and sales of diesel trucks, buses, bus chassis and special-purpose vehicles. Its headquarte ...
, so there is some variety among bus types. Additionally, some buses were purchased from
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...
many years ago; these buses have been refurbished and are still in use.
In 2005, Gifu Bus began using non-step buses from
Hino Motors
Hino Motors, Ltd., commonly known as Hino, is a Japanese manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines (including those for trucks, buses and other vehicles) headquartered in Hino, Tokyo. The company was established in 1942 as a corpora ...
to accommodate the
aging population
Population ageing is an increasing median age in a population because of declining fertility rates and rising life expectancy. Most countries have rising life expectancy and an ageing population, trends that emerged first in developed countries b ...
of the area. The company also uses hybrid buses made by Mitsubishi that were first used in
Expo 2005 in neighboring Aichi Prefecture; most of these buses are operated by the Yanagase Branch Office. Hino Motors provided the hybrid buses used exclusively on the Shinai Loop Line.
The sightseeing and highway buses generally use Mitsubishi buses, but there are also a few made by
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
. Some of the larger model buses were built by the
Belgian company
Van Hool.
Routes
The company's bus routes are listed below, separated by the branch office which manages them. (Note: Not all branch offices run bus lines.)
;Gifu Branch Office
*Gifu City Loop Line
*Sagiyama Kenchō Line
*Shōrai Kanō Line
*Chūsetsu Nagara Line
*Ginanchō Line
*Kidaijidanchi Line
*Iwado Irifune Line
*Malera Chūsetsu Line
*Aeon Kakamigahara Line
*Yana Bus
*Ii Bus (Community Bus)
;Gifu West Branch Office
*Akanabe Mitahora Line
*Obusa Sunomata Line
*Gifu Shōtoku Gakuendai Line
*Kagashima Ichihashi Line
*Mieji Hozumi Line
*Hozumi Rio-World Line
*Kitagata Hozumi Line
;Kakigase Branch Office
*Kurono Line
*Gifu Daigaku, Byōin Line
*
:*Motosu Line
:*Ijira Line
:*Kakebora Hōju Line
*Kanō Shima Line
*Kanō Minami Line
*Sogaya Line
*Kitagata Enkyōji Line
*Saigō Line
*Masada Chūsetsu Line
*Ōno Shinsei Kitagata Line
*Gifu Kōsen Line
*Ōno Kitakō Line
*Kenchō Gidai line
*Kagashimaōhashi Line
*Ōno Hozumi Line
;Mino Branch Office
*Kano Danchi Line
*Takami Line
*Makitani Line
*Horado Seki Line
*Nagoya Line H
*Takaoka Himi Line H
;Takatomi Branch Office
*Gifu Takatomi Line
*Gihoku Line
*Itadori Line
*Gifu Joshidai Line
*Mitahora Line
;Seki Branch Office
*Gifu Kaminoho Line
*Seki Mugi Line
*Takano Line
*Horado Seki Line
*Seki Unuma Line
;Hachiman Branch Office
(Gifu Bus Community Hachiman Co., Ltd.)
*Hachiman Line
*Wara Line
*Meihō Line
*Shōkawa Hachiman Line
*Hachiman Line H
*Shirakawa-gō H
*Hachiman Nagoya Line H
;Kakamigahara Branch Office
(Gifu Bus Community Co., Ltd.)
*Ōbora Danchi Line
*Ozaki Danchi Line
*Senbiki Taiheidai Town Line
*Kawashima Maewatari Line
*Hino Ichihashi Line
*Kurachi Line
*Gifu Kakamigahara Line
*Kakamigahara Tōbu Line
*VR Techno Line
*Unuma Ryokuen Danchi Line
*Little World Line
*Meiji-mura Line
*Chōja-machi Danchi Junkan Line
HIndicates highway lines
Designations
Each route listed above (other than the Gifu City Loop Line, the Yana Bus, the Community Bus, the School bus as Ōno Kitakō and Kagashima Ōhashi Line, and the Highway Lines) are designated with both a letter and a two-digit number. All routes run through Meitetsu Gifu Station
is a railway station located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Meitetsu. It is one of the two major railway stations of the city along with JR Gifu Station.
Lines
Meitetsu Gifu Station is th ...
along eight main trunks, so each line is divided into one of eight groups. The numbering indicates how far from Meitetsu Gifu Station the final destination is (e.g. a bus numbered "80" would travel further than a bus numbered "50"). The eight letters and their respective areas are listed below.
*N: for/from Nagara Bridge Avenue (ex. North/Northwest of Gifu City) Area
*K: for/from Kinka Bridge Avenue (ex. North/Northwest of Gifu City) Area
*C: for/from Chūsetsu Bridge Avenue (ex. Gifu Univ., Kurono) Area
*O: for/from Ōnawaba Bridge Avenue (ex. Kitagata, Ōno) Area
*G: for/from Gōdo Bridge Avenue (ex. Kagashima, Mizuho City) Area
*W: for/from West Kanō (ex. Kanō Shinhonmachi, Sunomata) area
*E: for/from East Kanō (ex. Kanō Sakuramichi, Pref. Office, Yanaizu) area
*B: for/from Bairin Park (ex. Kitaishiki) area
Late night routes
Three of the routes have a few buses that run beyond normal operating hours, allowing commuters and other people to catch a late bus home. The charge for these buses is twice the normal fare and they do not run on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.
*Kurono Line (Kakigase Branch Office)
*Takatomi Line (Takatomi Branch Office)
*Ōbora Danchi Line (Kakamigahara Branch Office)
School routes
Gifu Bus operates shuttle buses to two local universities—Asahi University
is a private university in Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The school was first founded in 1971 as Gifu Dental University (岐阜歯科大学 ''Gifu Shika Daigaku''). It was renamed Asahi University in 1985 when the management department was added ...
[School Bus Time Schedule](_blank)
Asahi University. Accessed July 3, 2008. and Gifu University
is a national university in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is sometimes abbreviated as Gidai (岐大) or Gifudai (岐阜大).
National University Corporation
The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System establishe ...
.[Public Transportation Access](_blank)
. Gifu University. Accessed July 2, 2008. The route to Asahi University is jointly operated by the Gifu, Gifu West and Kakigase branch offices. The Gifu University route is part of the Kenchō Gidai Line and is run by the Kakigase Branch Office.
References
External links
Gifu Bus Co. homepage
{{Authority control
Bus companies of Japan
Transport in Gifu Prefecture