The Tobu Bus Nikko Co., Ltd. (東武バス日光株式会社, Tōbu Basu Nikkō Kabushiki-gaisha)[1] is a subsidiary company of Tōbu Bus.
Outline
In 2002, Tōbu Railway was split into a railway company and a bus company. The bus company was further divided into Tōbu Bus Nikkō, Tōbu Bus West, Tōbu Bus East (discontinued in 2022), and Tōbu Bus Central. Tōbu Bus Nikkō operates all routes in the area around Nikkō Station and Tōbu-Nikkō Station in Nikko, Tochigi. The area served by these bus routes includes many tourist destinations, such as Tōshō-gū, Chūzenji, and Rinnō-ji.[2]
Vehicles
Hino S'elega, a type of sightseeing bus used for highway transit and during the tourist season
The company primarily uses Hino Rainbow and Isuzu Erga models, which are types of stage carriage buses. The Isuzu Erga was introduced as a "two-seater" in 2012 as part of the company's efforts to improve accessibility for disabled passengers. Due to demand for sightseeing buses that require warm interiors in winter, the company also makes use of the Hino S'elega.
The buses can be accessed via doors in the front or middle of the bus, with the exception of the sightseeing buses, which only feature a door in the front.
Tickets for riding the bus are sold at information desks at Tōbu Nikkō Station, Chūzenji Onsen, and Yumoto Onsen.
Normal tickets
Normal tickets are single-use, with a designated destination.
Tickets for destinations between Tōbu-Nikkō Station and Yumoto Onsen allow passengers to get on and off freely between the Shinkyo bus stop near Tōshō-gū and the Chūzenji Onsen bus-stop near Lake Chūzenji.
Free pass tickets
Free pass tickets allow purchasers to get on and off at any of the bus stops within the designated area of the ticket, and are almost all available for two days, though there are exceptions.[3]
Yumoto Onsen Free Pass – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, the Shinkyo bus stop (tōshō-gū), Umakaeshi, the Chūzenji Onsen bus stop (Lake Chūzenji), Yumoto Onsen, and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus (世界遺産めぐり循環バス).
Chūzenji Onsen Free Pass – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, the Shinkyo bus stop (tōshō-gū), Umakaeshi, the Chūzenji Onsen bus stop (Lake Chūzenji), the Osaki bus stop, and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
Senjōgahara Free Pass – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, the Shinkyo bus stop (tōshō-gū), Umakaeshi, the Chūzenji Onsen bus stop (Lake Chūzenji), the Sanbonmatsu bus stop, for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
Ozasa Bokujō Free Pass – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, Kirifuri Falls, Kirifuri Kōgen, Ozasa Bokujō, and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
Kirifuri Kōgen Free Pass – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, Kirifuri Falls, Kirifuri Kōgen, and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
Kirifuri Falls Free Pass (valid for only 1 day) – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, Kirifuri Falls, and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
World Heritage Tour Free Pass (valid for only 1 day) – Can be used at Nikkō Station, Tōbu-Nikkō Station, Nishi Sandō (tōshō-gū), and for the World Heritage Sightseeing Bus.
Nikko Pass All Area (日光まるごと東武フリーパス) (valid for 4 days)[4] – A round-trip ticket allows the purchaser to travel from any station of the Tōbu Railway Tōbu Skytree Line to the designated Free Ride Area. The Free Ride Area consists of train lines in the area between Shimo-Imaichi Station and Tōbu-Nikkō Station on the Tōbu Nikkō line, as well as Tōbu Bus Nikkō bus lines.
IC cards
Since 23 February 2010, passengers are able to use IC cards (PASMO, Suica) to ride the Tōbu Bus Nikkō.
The Tōbu Bus Co., Ltd. (東武バス株式会社, Tōbu Basu Kabushiki-gaisha) is a bus company within the Tobu Group which was established on 30 January 2002[5] to inherit all the shares of the Tōbu Railway bus division.[6][7]
Outline
The company was established on 30 January 2002 by spinning off from Tōbu Railway. The company began formal operations in its current form on 30 September 2002.[8][9] In addition, the Tōbu Railway was split into 4 subgroups: Tōbu Bus East, Tōbu Bus Central, Tōbu Bus West, Tōbu Bus Nikko.[10] Tōbu Bus is a holding company owning assets of these different subsidiaries, and as such does not operate any of the bus routes directly. However, the company does sell tickets for bus routes operated by these subsidiaries, as well as manage the lease of their properties.
History
The history of Tobu Bus begins with the establishment of Mōbu Motor,[11][12] which was an affiliated company of Tōbu Railway in Gunma and Saitama in 1933. The bus department of Tōbu Railway was established in Kawagoe, Saitama, on 1 April 1934. In September 1936, these two companies were merged into Tōbu Motor[13] and the new company inherited the service areas of Saitama, Gunma, Ibaraki, and Tochigi from Tōbu-affiliated companies.
After World War II, Tōbu Motor and Tōbu Nikkō Tramway were taken over by Tōbu Railway. The bus business ran a deficit in 1980 due to a decrease in passengers by 80%, and Tōbu Railway decided to split up as described above in September 2001 due to the difficulty of continuing operations.[14] The offices and bus routes not transferred to Tōbu Bus at the time of this split were transferred to Asahi Motor Group around 1990.
20 January 2002 – Tōbu Bus transferred the assets and share of stock of the bus department of Tōbu Railway
1 October 2002 – Tōbu Bus and the three affiliated companies listed above started operations
1 October 2021 – Tōbu Bus East was merged into Tōbu Bus Central
The Tobu Bus West Co., Ltd. (東武バスウエスト株式会社, Tōbu Basu Uesuto Kabushiki-gaisha)[15] is a subsidiary company of Tobu Bus. The head office is located in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama.
Outline
In 2002, the company was spun off from Tōbu Railway. The bus company runs in the area around the train stations serviced by the Tōbu Urban Park Line, the Takasaki Line, and the Tōbu Tōjō Line in Saitama. The company primarily serves tourists (Kawagoe) as well as commuters.
Tōbu Bus Central Co., Ltd. (東武バスセントラル株式会社, Tobu Bus Sentoraru Kabushiki gaisya)[16] is a subsidiary company of Tōbu Bus. The head office is located in Adachi.
Outline
In 2002, the company was spun off from the Tōbu Railway bus department. The bus company operates in the area around the train stations serving the Tōbu Skytree Line. On 1 October 2021, Tōbu Bus East was merged into Tōbu Bus Central.[17] Following this, the company began operating in the area servicing the stations of the Tōbu Urban Park Line, the Tsukuba Express, and the Jōban Line in Chiba.
