How To Ride

At out-of-town bus stops, some bus stops only have a sign on one side of the road. If the bus you want to catch stops on the side of the road where there is no sign, please wait on that side of the road. Where there is waiting room or waiting area, when the time for the bus to arrive approaches, please wait outside by the bus stop sign.

Buses operate according to a number of different timetables, such as ‘weekday schedules’, ‘Saturday and public holiday schedules’, buses that only run in certain seasons or specific times of the year, therefore buses do not necessarily run every day. Please check the timetable at the bus stop and confirm that the bus you wish to board is operating on that day.During the summer Obon period and the period before and after the New Year, some bus routes will operate on a Saturday and public holiday schedule, a special schedule, or may not operate at all. Please make sure to check the notes on the timetables at bus stops. It is not possible to change notes of 2,000 yen or more on the bus. Please check that you have either 1,000 yen notes or coins before you board the bus.

The destination of the bus is indicated at three places on the bus- on the front, on the side, and on the back of the bus. The destination indications may be in different places depending on the bus and the route.

Route buses typically have 2 doors. For route buses in the Matsumoto area and Nagano area, please board buses from the rear door. For route buses in Kamikochi, Norikura area and Suwa area, the front door is used for both boarding and getting off the bus. Before boarding, please check the signs by the doors on the bus which will say ‘Exit’ (出口) by the door for getting off a bus, ‘Entrance’ (入口) by the door for boarding a bus, or ‘Doorway’ (出入口) by the door for both boarding and getting off a bus.

Numbered boarding tickets are evidence of where the customer boarded the bus. If you do not take a boarding ticket, then you may be charged the fare for the full journey from where the bus initially departed.

If you use a KURURU IC Card, then you have to touch the card against the card reader when you board instead of taking a numbered boarding card. Other IC Cards (SUICA, PASMO etc.) cannot be used.

The moments when buses start moving are particularly dangerous. After boarding please sit down straight away in seats nearby. If no seats are available, please hold on to the straps or handrails. Moving around the bus when the bus is moving is very dangerous. If you need to change money or move to a different seat, please do this when the bus has stopped. Please turn your mobile phone/smart phone to silent mode and refrain from speaking on the phone while on the bus. Please give your seat to elderly passengers, passengers with disabilities, pregnant passengers etc.

After the announcement in the bus for the stop you wish to get off at, please press one of the buttons located near windows, on poles etc. When you press the button, a red light will come on. (A red light will also come on by the driver’s seat, so the driver will know there is a passenger wishing to get off.) Please do not stand up from your seat until after the bus has stopped as there is a danger you will fall over if the bus brakes suddenly or goes around a curve.

On the bus there is a screen displaying fares located at the front of the bus. The fare you need to pay is the fare alongside the same number that is shown on your numbered boarding ticket. As the display on the screen may change after each bus stop, please confirm your fare after your stop has been announced on the bus. The fare displayed is the standard fare. (The child fare is half the standard fare.) Some buses on routes that have a flat fee may not have a screen displaying fares.

For example, the number on the numbered boarding pass in the photo is ‘1’. On the screen displaying fees, the fare displayed below ‘1’ is 200 yen, so the passenger has to pay a fare of 200 yen.

Before putting the fare in the fare box, please show it clearly to the driver so the amount can be confirmed. (If using coupon tickets, please put them in separately.) If you do not have the exact fare, please use the change machines attached to the fare box. It is dangerous to change money while the bus is moving, so please wait until the bus has stopped. 2,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen notes cannot be changed.

The steps of the bus may become slippery with rain or snow. Please take care of stones or other obstacles in the road when you get off the bus. After getting off the bus, do not cross the road in front of or behind the bus as this is extremely dangerous. Please make sure to confirm that the surroundings are safe.