TMC to Jointly Test On-Demand Bus System in Tohoku

Toyota City, Japan, August 9, 2012―Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has entered into an agreement with Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan to jointly test an on-demand bus system from October this year until March 2015. The transportation system is to link temporary housing units in northern Kamaishi City, an area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, with the downtown area.

The test is part of efforts to provide flexible transportation services for people traveling to and from temporary housing units, which are usually in areas with inadequate transportation infrastructure. The system must also be able to adapt to change as infrastructure restoration progresses.

Kamaishi City will use a TMC-produced on-demand transportation management system to manage the city's microbus fleet and dispatch buses on request to pick up and drop off passengers at desired locations and times.

TMC also plans to apply the system developed through the test to other disaster-stricken areas, with the goal of helping improve the lives of people living in areas with inadequate transportation.

In June 2011, TMC established the Kokoro Hakobu Project with the goal of providing continued assistance to people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. In July of that year, TMC announced specific steps to help restore the affected areas through its social contribution initiatives. The on-demand transportation management system TMC is providing represents part of these initiatives.