Japan’s 1st bus service with lie-flat seats begins

Japan’s first overnight bus service with lie-flat seats began Saturday in western Japan, allowing passengers to relax during the roughly 10-hour trip to and from Tokyo as the operator aims to make the service a “new form of mobility.”

Bus operator Kochi Ekimae Kanko, based in Kochi Prefecture, decided to launch the service in the hope of catering to the needs of bus travelers who complain that overnight bus rides are physically exhausting.

The seats can be converted into two tiers of beds. The bus departs from Kochi on Saturday night, and leaves Tokyo on Sunday night, with one stop in the city of Naruto in Tokushima Prefecture, which neighbors Kochi.

Fares depend on the availability of seats, with a lower bed seat costing around 10,000 yen ($64) one way, while an upper bed seat costs 12,000 or more.

Each flatbed is about 180 centimeters in length and 50 cm in width, and they are equipped with a smartphone charger, privacy curtains, and safety rails. From January, the service will be expanded to three to four buses a week in each direction.

The company has conducted trial runs and made improvements since March, including the installation of the chargers. It also plans to sell the bed seats starting next spring, enabling other bus operators to offer a similar service.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has created safety guidelines for busses with lie-flat seats and expects demand will increase if autonomous driving becomes more widespread in the future.