Expansion of the direct bus network connecting Haneda Airport with its hinterland

Abstract

After the deregulation of air transport in United States and liberalization in Europe, papers on this theme have been accumulated in the field of transport geography which uses quantitative methods in United States and Europe while there are few socio-economic studies from that viewpoint. Socio-economic transport geography tends to have an interest in historical processes of transport development and little in the current transport problems especially in Japan. Socio-economic studies, however, examine the system of transport facilities comprehensively, which will contribute to practical analysis and criticism of current transport problems.The purpose of this paper is to examine the case of the rapid expansion of the direct bus network connecting Haneda Airport with its hinterland since the latter half of the 1990s. This paper also examines the other social background of this phenomenon, considering the role of bus company in making the bus routes between Haneda Airport and its hinterland, impact of the deregulation of air and bus transport, changing use of aircraft, and the bus share in airport-access market. The data were mainly collected through interviews with the personnel of bus companies in charge of planning bus route to Haneda Airport. The main findings of this paper are summarized as follows:1. Almost all the bus routes between Haneda Airport and its hinterland are managed by two airport bus companies (Keihin Electric Express Railway Co., Ltd., and Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd.), and 25 local bus companies, each of which has its own service area. Therefore the airport bus companies are concerned with all bus routes and have a lot of information on them. When the local bus companies plan to extend their bus routes into Haneda Airport, the airport side supplies accumulated know-how to run an airport-access bus with the local bus side. This cooperated-route-management-system enables a sudden increase in bus route.2. Until the first half of the 1990s, bus stops were arranged only in the Tokyo Bay area and Central Tokyo, which is near Haneda Airport. But the hinterland greatly expanded in 1998, reaching 100km away from Haneda Airport. Since these routes were profitable, the airport bus companies began to develop the bus route to Haneda Airport positively. Therefore the local bus companies have become so easy to participate in the airport-access bus that 13 routes were formed in 2000. After 2001, new routes have extended into areas where market size is smaller or road accessibility is worse, and 49 bus routes to Haneda Airport have been formed before December, 2002.3. The number of air passengers using Haneda Airport has increased from 31 million persons in 1988 to 54.8 million in 2000 and is estimated to be increasing in the future. This trend has brought an increase in airport-access bus passengers, too, and is one of the factors causing the expansion of the direct bus network connecting Haneda Airport with its hinterland.4. Haneda Airport Offshore Expansion Project has influences on the increase of passengers using Haneda Airport indirectly and on airport-access bus at three viewpoints. The number of bus stops has increased 5 to 15; many buses can be operated. Since highway system is improved, buses can arrive at Haneda Airport on time, which makes air passengers take a bus confidently. The pollution issues such as the noise and vibration are refined; aircraft can take off and land on Haneda Airport all day long. In the early morning, however, airport-access trains are not available in many areas in Haneda Airport hinterland while buses are available even in the areas more 100km away from Haneda Airport. This fact suggests that the bus companies could make buses bound for Haneda Airport run selectively in the early morning for their profit; on the other hand, this promotes the public benefit because the completion of airport-access is demanded now.