Copyright kyodonews
KOCHI, Japan - A Japanese company will begin operating the country's first overnight bus with lie-flat seats from November after its trial of the service proved popular. Kochi Ekimae Kanko, a bus operator in western Japan, has repeatedly received passenger feedback that overnight bus rides can be physically tiring and concluded there is enough demand for buses with lie-flat seats. The company trialed the seats, which can be converted into two tiers of beds, on its 13-hour service between Kochi Prefecture and Tokyo. During the trial in August, an upper bed seat cost 12,000 yen ($80) one way, while a lower bed seat was 10,000 yen. The fares for the regular service are yet to be announced. Each flatbed is 180 centimeters in length and 48 cm in width, equipped with privacy curtains and safety rails. Buses with flatbeds have already been in service in other countries, including the United States and Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Some Japanese bus companies considered introducing such services by installing sleeping berths, but they were unable to meet safety standards. Kochi Ekimae Kanko met road traffic safety requirements by developing convertible seats instead of using sleeping berths. It took the bus operator about 10 years to develop the convertible seats with a local company. Tetsuya Kimura, a professor of safety engineering at Nagaoka University of Technology, said the transport ministry has necessary road safety requirements in place for long-distance buses, but it should monitor new services offering passenger comfort such as the Kochi Ekimae Kanko's to "ensure safety for people of all ages and physical characteristics."
