JR Bus

JR Bus collectively refers to the bus operations of Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies in Japan. JR Bus is operated by six regional companies, with JR East and JR West operating two each while the others operate one each. JR Bus companies provide regional, long distance, and chartered bus services.

Van Hool Astromega operated by JR Tokai Bus

Neoplan Megaliner operated by JR Bus Kanto

Substitution bus for temporarily suspended Etsumi North Line railway operated by West JR Bus

Several buses operated by JR Bus Kanto parked at Tokyo Station in November 2022

List of companies

Bus company	Operation area	Parent company
JR Hokkaido Bus Company	Hokkaidō region	Hokkaido Railway Company
JR Bus Tohoku Company	Tōhoku region	East Japan Railway Company
JR Bus Kanto Company	Kantō region
JR Tokai Bus Company	Tōkai region	Central Japan Railway Company
West Japan JR Bus Company	Hokuriku region, Kansai region	West Japan Railway Company
Chugoku JR Bus Company	Chūgoku region
JR Shikoku Bus Company	Shikoku region	Shikoku Railway Company
JR Kyushu Bus Company	Kyūshū region	Kyushu Railway Company

History

The Ministry of Railways of Japan started its first bus operation in Aichi Prefecture in 1930 and gradually expanded bus routes. The Japanese National Railways (JNR), public corporation established in 1949, succeeded the bus operations, then called Kokutetsu Bus or JNR Bus. In 1987, JNR was divided into regional railway companies together with its bus operations. JR companies later separated their bus operations to subsidiaries in 1988 (JR East, JR Central, JR West), 2000 (JR Hokkaido), 2001 (JR Kyushu) and 2004 (JR Shikoku).

Examples of vehicles

Regional route vehicles

• 
  JR Hokkaidō bus 521-4956
• 
  JR Bus Tohoku 531-9452
• 
  JR Bus Kanto L534-97506
• 
  JR Tokai Bus 328-8902
• 
  Nishinihon JR Bus 537-1909
• 
  Chugoku JR Bus 534-5969
• 
  JR Shikoku Bus 531-2911
• 
  JR Kyushu Bus 521-21602

Expressway route vehicles

JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus and Chugoku JR Bus share a common livery based on the JNR Bus livery.

• 
  JR Hokkaido Bus 644-5822
• 
  JR Bus Tohoku H654-02406
• 
  JR Bus Kanto H654-07417
• 
  JR Tokai Bus 747-05952
• 
  Nishinihon JR Bus 749-8913
• 
  Chugoku JR Bus 641-5906
• 
  JR Shikoku Bus 694-8950
• 
  JR Kyushu Bus 748-06558

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20151203224900/http://www.kakuyasubus.jp/ (jointly operated by JR Bus companies for promotion of intercity buses) (in Japanese)