Skip to main content

Optibus makes it count in Japan's Akita City

Company's software will be used in redesign of city's public transportation network
By Adam Hill December 21, 2023 Read time: 1 min
Optibus will determine how many buses are required to run services efficiently (© Cowardlion | Dreamstime.com)

Akita City in Japan is to redesign its citywide public transportation network using Optibus' software.

The capital of the Akita prefecture, which has 300,000 residents, published the third edition of its policy vision for public transport in March 2021.

Optibus' digital planning and scheduling solution will be used to improve efficiency and optimise the redesign of route plans, timetables and vehicle counts.

The company says: "Network redesign and optimisation will also help Akita City to account for challenges when reimagining sustainability, including driver shortages and changes in ridership demand due to demographic changes such as a shrinking population and ageing society."

Using AI and optimisation algorithms, Optibus will also help determine how many vehicles are required to run services efficiently, based on Akita City’s operational standards and passenger demand, "resulting in a more effective network redesign and improved discussions with local bus operators".

The solution also allows the creation of multiple planning scenarios for the redesign which can be compared with one another.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Caltrans takes the long view of transport
    October 21, 2016
    Caltrans’ Malcolm Dougherty took time out of his schedule at ITS America 2016 in San Jose to talk to ITS International about current and future challenges. As director of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) since mid-2012, many would say that Malcolm Dougherty has one of the best jobs in transportation. Caltrans is one of the most progressive and innovative transport authorities, implementing policies to encourage cycling, piloting new
  • Singapore plans changes to transit system
    June 13, 2018
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar
  • Mileage based charging offers secure future for funding
    August 10, 2016
    HNTB’s Matthew Click sets out why a move to mileage-based pricing is inevitable. Infrastructure is the most neglected yet the most critical engine of our society, and our continued indifference could lead to a dystopian future. Our roads, bridges and highways have been largely passed by in the digital age—marginalised in an era when funding is limited and stewardship of physical assets has given way to our preoccupation with technological innovation and data—the stuff of the virtual realm.
  • MTA's Bronx bus route re-jig 'streamlines' trips
    February 28, 2023
    New York's transit agency says commute times for bus riders have been cut