The Bus in Japan that thinks it's a Train (O-Bahn, Guided Bus)

[@dsb188]

I’ve never seen anything like this before. A bus with an identity crisis. Thanks for sharing. 🚌 🚊 🤔😯👍

[@ad.6472]

I know, right @L@ !

[@rezaalan3991]

Sacrificing it's identity for faster driving time.

[@matureyoungman]

Seinfeld-worthy joke

[@jeffreysureejamie2547]

I have previously live in Adelaide, Australia which has the same system.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

The first guided busway was the one in Essen, Germany, hence the common name "O-Bahn" for guided busways. There is also a guided busway in Cambridge, UK (and Adelaide, AUS as mentioned above).

[@maboelnreads]

This bus “will arrive on time, just like a train!” says someone who has never experienced the British railway system. 😂😂 Only in Japan can you say that...

[@BlackIceDragonSalome]

Or the german one :D

[@ErnestJay88]

Indonesian be like "it only just 30 minutes late, *so it still ON TIME* "

[@SpartaFan]

In Germany, the city "Essen" still has some Guided Busways. But it´s getting less and less. I guess it is only one line anymore and there only partwise. I guess I have to visit it soon, it´s just a 30 minute train ride away.

[@donarodinson2381]

I live in Essen and know the 146 :)

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

Owww. that's interesting to know. Maybe I will try to find it once the next Spiel is on :) (I visit Spiel every year....but I didn't know that had an O-bahn in Essen)

[@qjtvaddict]

Trains replacing them?

[@MirkoC407]

No, this one line will stay. Demands for building (actually rebuilding, there was one until the 70es) the tram or a light rail line would be too expensive and costly. Legally that would be considered a new line, so all regulations from today would apply. Especially the demands for noise protection of passengers in the median of the A40 Autobahn would be too much. Just use a station on the U18 on the other side of the city and you know why. The existing busway, as well as the U18 are not compliant either but as long as they remain untouched they have grandfather rights. Historically the system in Essen was the test bed for Adelaide. Mercedes won the contract with their new system, until then just tested on their facilities at the Rastatt truck plant going 700 metres forth and back. That however even with a double-articulated bidirectional bus with a conventional bus cockpit one direction and a tram cockpit the other. It ran on electric power with a light rail pantograph instead of the usual trolley bus poles. Just google Mercedes O305GG for some pictures. That was not enough and before Mercedes went on to build this system untested with passengers at the other side of the globe they looked for a partner at their front door and found one in Essen's EVAG tram and bus company.

[@HalianTheProtogen]

I want to visit sometime for Spiel; it's a shame the BRT is going away.

[@ronaldmurray7746]

From Germany to Adelaide, South Australia, England, and Japan, I was lucky enough to actually drive this in Adelaide

[@richardflaherty2373]

Thank you for another great video of how advanced and cool Japan is.

[@gabrielmyre]

Every time I watch one of your videos, I go Wow...Wow...Wow. It's all so modern, innovative and beautiful.

[@hoeyboey]

There is a guided busway in Cambridge, England! It is 16 miles long and connects small villages. In the city it is a normal bus, but then goes onto a guided route later.

[@XPTV233]

it's also famous for accidents, a week before I went on it there was a very serious accident haha

[@jimlawnjr]

That is kick ass , Never heard of this type bus Before, So cool being above the city like that, Very smart idea !!!👍🏻

[@tomknight8639]

I live near Cambridge (the University city) in England. Their guided busways are world-class. There are cycleways next to all bus routes (as this is also the disputed cycle capital of Britain), and the guided buses run on both public and bus-only roads. Along with cheap fares, frequent services, and quick journey times out of the city, I would totally recommend that if you were to visit the UK to take the Busway (the name of the system).

[@robertnicholson2205]

i'm glad you like it...I am a driver on the busway so maybe see you onboard.

[@ZGryphon]

In Boston they have a thing which is sort of the opposite of these--buses which run on the streets, without rails, but are electrically powered and held to fixed routes by streetcar-style overhead wires. They're called "trackless trolleys" or trolleybuses, and mostly replaced tracked streetcar lines. I think there's also a segment of at least one of the regular bus lines where the buses run normally most of the time, but switch to overhead electrics to go through a tunnel where they can't run their diesel engines.

[@leandrosantiagomelgarejoch5208]

Segun vi son super lentos los tenes que siguen lineas en el piso

[@chilliwaterlickingecko5113]

We love our o-barn over here in Australia(Adelaide).. I remember I was a young child when they first built it (80's).. I rode it so many times like it was a showground attraction.. 👋🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤✌🏽 *Edited . Driver be like,.. ( look mum ,no hands)

[@appleslover]

Why Australians love the letter R much they add it to everything?

[@ScuttlePants]

@@appleslover Whry indreed?

[@ronfive]

We have one in Crawley, UK where guided buses run through special guided bus lanes on our roads.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Nice! I like seeing all the different transportation systems in JAPAN. In the USA... we just take cars, trucks, and motorcycles everywhere. Or airplanes, if we have to go really far in a hurry.

[@ut4321]

I loved the guide wheel deployment check mirror at the end!

[@worldwidebear1967]

Cool. We have in Germany in one City an Guided Bus. Its in the City of Essen.

[@TheGeographyBible]

I wanna visit Japan so so badly! Everything is so fascinating!

[@andykoener]

We had guided busses in Essen Germany 1978 and also went underground with the trams . Runs on diesel outside the city centre and uses a rear mounted pantograph for running underground with the trams

[@houting931]

When I visited Nagoya, I've noticed the facility of Yutorito Line next to JR's Ozone station. At the first time I thought it is another "Shin-Kotsu" system.

[@MelodicCore1332]

I live on the Cambridgeshire guided Busway, very nice ride and yet to have an issue with it

[@debunkedmyth]

Ottawa (Canada) has a similar, but different, system called the Transitway. Multiple buses go across the city using this and there are dedicated, sometimes elevated or sheltered, stations. Like with what I'm seeing here, the buses will leave the Transitway and use regular roads to continue their routes. One major difference is that the routes with higher passenger amounts use those accordion buses! It'll be super busy during rush hour too! (Since I've left Ottawa, the western and eastern branches of the network have recently been converted to a light rail transit system.)

[@michaelmcwhorter8707]

This is similar to the PRT system at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. They have a system of guide ways that run electrified "buses". They run between three campuses and downtown Morgantown. The system has been in use since the 1970s and is a vital part of the transportation system at the University.

[@mfdfadhil]

In Malaysia, we call it BRT (bus rapid transit), same elevated platform using electric powered bus

[@TrebleSketch]

Another viewer from Adelaide, Australia! Do ride the O-Bahn home a fair bit of the time, it's definitely a joy to ride on (though can be quite bumpy along some sections due to age). They have lowered the max speed from 100km/h down to 85km/h on some sections, do wonder when they might upgrade/refurbish the concrete tracks some day! Or maybe they might convert it to heavy rail some day :P It's definitely a really cool system, only 4 stops but certainly an experience too! Hopefully when our borders are opened, you'll be able to come by and experience it yourself! (Edit: also just saw the guide wheels retract when not in use on your buses. That's pretty whack)

[@sizquirt]

lowered to 90kmh*

[@toddgrant6133]

The color of the bus's livery reminds me so much of the TV Series and Animes I've watched in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid, although I haven't been to Japan, it feels like I have been living there for a long time.

[@kirbyarroyo2118]

The title of the video is something that Tom Scott would use.

[@raunaresquaiwatayakanai1710]

"The Bus that (partially) runs on rail" that would be amazing lol

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Makes me wonder how many Japanese Tom Scott fans/watchers are there

[@DanTheCaptain]

The UK does actually have the most guided busways. There are systems in Cambridge, Leeds and Bristol. So I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to do a video on them.

[@supriyogupta6545]

Truly amazing and innovative👌

[@djolds1]

Now THIS was different. :) Thank you Kuga.

[@carladavid784]

Wow that is interesting, japan always have some cool things 🤩

[@lindavainomae3489]

Thanks for sharing this - did not know about this form of transport in Nagoya. As others have mentiontioned, we have a guided busway in Adelaide which makes it's transport system unique in Australia.

[@askara_755]

There's a guided bus system kinda like that in Adelaide, Australia. The only major difference being that it doesn't travel on any high rails. It's a real cross between trams trains and buses

[@KatTheFoxtaur]

That's interesting! In Boston, we have buses on the Silver Line that don't have guided rails (just regular rubber wheels on a paved surface), but they're powered by overhead wires, using catenaries like an electric train. Another fun fact, Silver Line Way itself has a speed limit of 6mph...

[@thesledgehammerblog]

Seattle has buses powered from overhead wires as well, but they are much less common than they used to be.

[@kpriya286]

Amazing ..never seen anything like this !! Thanks for sharing 👍

[@tekpar89]

Versatility at its best 👍

[@tremorist]

There are only very few electric bus systems in germany (like 2 or 3 max), and they are more or less unmodern. When in Germany visit the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal. It's a suspension railway that was built 120 years ago and is still in frequent use today.

[@stanross]

Grand Video ! Thank YOU !

[@이마크-r8e]

That's so cool! Japan really is like on another world with how the do things.

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

Eh, yes, but it's just an implementation of a foreign born system....it's not a Japanese invention :) (well....perhaps combining it with the raised roadway is.... but they do that for other systems too)

[@UnReal31337]

Boston's Silver line is kind of like this but as a subway instead of elevated, has it's own busway in some parts but mixes with normal traffic through most of the line.

[@AmbientWalking]

Super interesting! Really nice to experience this with you. Thanks!

[@Powerbertl66]

In the late 1970's and early 1980's the German bus manufacturer M. A. N. had a test facility north of Munich. Thy called it "spurgelenkte Busse ". That means there where two rails, one right and one left. The bus had 2 little wheels on each side, 1 at the front and one at the rear to keep it on track.

[@aleksap5459]

We have the O-Bahn in Adelaide, too! Been around since the 1980s.

[@muntasirmahmood4374]

First bus in the U.K. also has buses like that. For example in the city of Leeds there are special sections on the road which are separated for buses with guidewheels.

[@Drew-og5mr]

Hello, if you are planning on visiting the UK, guided bus routes are available in the West Yorkshire region (Bradford). They are predominantly used on main roads to help bypass rush hour traffic. However, they are in no way of the same design and don’t span over the same distances like in Japan. There will be other locations in the UK, but I can only speak to my local area. I have to say, Japan is a head of the game, you really do put substantial investment in your infrastructure. Keep the videos coming 😊

[@General_T]

interesting. I bet its a good choice for areas with high ddensity traffic and the line moving then into a low density area, so it switches from "train" to bus. In germany we have "guided" busses aswell, but the limitation of moving on the guided lane is because they recive their electrical power from the overhead powerlines. (For emergencies, or if they have to move/switch between lines they have battery packs to drive a short distance without the overhead powerline). I know Eberswalde, a city near Berlin, has thes kinds of busses (if you travel through Europe some day :) )

[@michalislamprinos38]

Wow what an interesting video 👍👍👍

[@MmntechCa]

There's a couple cities in Canada that have something similar to this. They have dedicated roads with stations, but the buses aren't guided. These systems aren't common. Most large cities seem to be focusing on light rail.

[@MMTB616]

Rode this line in 2019 on a visit from Australia. Enjoyed a lovely Japanese meal at local (no English spoken of course!) near the transfer station.

[@christinehaworth4924]

Another vote for the guided busway near Cambridge, UK. A bit alarming to see the driver not with his hands on the steering wheel at first. Always a good trip out riding the busway.

[@carlacosta56]

I have never seen nothing like this ! This is awesome! 👌

[@hj_lostintheinternet3754]

This is the most delightfully weird thing I've seen today. It seems like an interesting idea

[@mariabetancourt6797]

This is the most interesting thing I have seen in transportation.....that is fabulous. Thank you for sharing Amazing

[@stuarttaylor4188]

all the advantages of a train but with the flexibility of a bus

[@deimosmuc]

You can use a guided bus at Munich Airport (Germany), from Terminal 2 to the Satellite Terminal of Terminal 2. But it's airside, so you need to have a ticket. And it's underground and the breaking when reaching its stop is not very smooth.

[@poornanandant.s.8611]

Though it is a costly infrastructure very safe n less traffic congestion I think. Good idea..👍👍

[@Strider_141]

Awesome mate

[@PavanKumar-fy6fq]

I've learnt something new today. Thanks for sharing. 😃👍

[@brucetownsend691]

A very interesting video. This system has practical advantages and limitations, so it would be good in some locations but not in others.

[@RX552VBK]

Wow! This was a new one on me! This IS the kind of systems we need in the US--its why we have such heavy traffic jams and what not. But our officials are so damn partisan we can never get an infrastructure bill formed to created such efficient public transit systems like this made. Great vid anyway.

[@bonbonandpumpkin2463]

Such a relaxing video - it brought back memories of when I used to ride the Obahn. They actually have renovated it there last few years - it’s such a practical idea ! Really enjoy your work- have you ever thought of making a list of your trips sightseeing purposes? So we could go to Japan and tour around with a guide ☺️

[@wiru48]

In Sao Paulo, Brazil has a unique line of buses who ran as a monorail - it become operative way before the first "real" monorail too

[@robustfawn]

Very cool video!!! I love videos of everyday stuff in Japan.

[@clarepritchard2423]

We have O'Barns here in Adelaide, Australia and they have been operating for 35 years. Here in Australia the tracks and runners are all made of cement unlike the Japanese version which seems to have metal runners with cement tracks. Also the O'barn here in Australia the O'barn converts back to a bus at interchanges (as we call them) then returns back to the to the track to continue on its journey. Interesting to see how the Japanese have done it, though rather old school her in Adelaide

[@Sunyerid2482]

Didn't know japan also has these guided train-like buses. Also the view through window looks very familiar... Almost Same designs of apartments and buildings...i like it.

[@mixswist]

In Thailand, we have something similar called " BRT ( Bus Rapid Transit ) ". It's doesn't have a guide wheel on the side but mostly it driving on the track. It was planed 5 routes but only 1 was built and use.

[@davidcoldstar6333]

As for BRT, several rural cities in Japan have already adopted the system. Most of them were converted from ordinary railways due to lack of passengers.

[@SeventhSwell]

Thanks for the video. It was very interesting. I wish I could visit and ride it myself.

[@amazingyashworld6233]

wowowow, that's so nice thank you so much for sharing this stay blessed my dear

[@jasongovett347]

I actually live in Adelaide Australia and only live about 10 minutes drive from one of the Obahn bus stops on the Adelaide Obahn system. Extremely fast service into Adelaide City.

[@usmale4915]

What an interesting concept! I thoroughly enjoyed the video! Thank you for sharing!

[@imogenlaci-mai]

Yes, our country (UK) has some nice guided busses. You can find them by Cambridge, I've never been on them though since I live about an hour away but I heard they're pretty cool from a friend of mine who attends university there. :)

[@nmc398]

Once again I am amazed at Japan's technology. I could never seen something like that being implemented here in America. 😪

[@sizquirt]

japan didn’t make the technology, germany did.

[@prarthanajoshi8384]

Its such an amazing composition.....every country should have this kind of transportation espicially for ambulances due to covid and as a regular transportation for public ......i am in love with this .....thank you for letting us know

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

Over here (the Netherlands) buslanes are often seperate from normal roads and have seperate traffic lights with priority. Ambulances have devices in them that let them use the bus lanes and get priority when they are running blue lights.

[@prarthanajoshi8384]

@@BuzzinsPetRock78 ohh here in india there is a lot of traffic and there are no different lanes for ambulances .....the ambulances are still able to reach the hospital but it takes them hours to reach the hospital .....if they introduce this kimd of buses in india it would be of huge benefit......

[@cristianhugomunozcampos3450]

There's a similar system in Australia. Though I never imagined Japan have the same one.

[@gossettcd]

That's the Adelaide O-Bahn

[@chilliwaterlickingecko5113]

I know right .. even watching I was weirdo out by how theirs is mostly bridge.. the Adelaide one goes a lot faster tho..... thinking we mostly on ground level... that bridge would freak me out

[@MayContainJoe]

You might also have a look into "rubber metros" and "rubber trams", which are similar to this and most prevalent in France. In that case, they actually use the guiderails to allow for longer vehicles with higher capacity. China's Yibin ART T1 is a very modern example of a guided bus.

[@HelixRsix]

We have these buses in my state in Australia they have been here for a long time now and do a great job

[@thebittenmac]

Interesting video. First time I watch that kind of bus/train. I didn't know about it 🤔

[@DreamlinerX]

I live in Adelaide, AU and my house is close to one O-Bahn station, it is faster than driving a car to the downtown, it can avoid traffic and red lights. Drivers love them cuz they don't have to pay attention to other vehicles or traffic lights, but they also said taking that is not that comfortable as trains or trams for passenger, it is bumpy. I don't know if it's the issue with the speed as buses runs over 80kph on the track. An interesting thing is that the track is regarded as a road in South Australia, police can actually set speed cameras on the track and ticket bus drivers, so don't go overspeed! I would say this is a budget urban transport solution (I remember an urban planning professor told me that it's 1/3 cost than a rail line) and maybe they can change it to rail track easily when more capacity needed.

[@salmahmohd4658]

Cool! Never seen anything like it! 😮

[@SaumyaKushwaha101]

Yup, very interesting! I didn't even know that these exists. Enjoyed watching it. 👍

[@TransportFan2003]

i live near an example of the uk guided busway and it has many differences to this one and some guideways are different from each other in the uk but the one i am near uses concrete as the guideway tracks

[@Pululupulu]

In the US, the silver-line in Boston has a similar system, but I think it’s just a regular tunnel with stations, the bus weren’t guided and are still controlled by the driver

[@Wholmaoofff]

I love your channel🥰

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

I was thinking of this solution for those failing local railways. This must be much cheaper to maintain than a full train service, and most infrastructure is already there. Just pull up the rails and pour some concrete. If a bridge fails, divert the line over normal streets and rejoin the 'track' after the bridge. Reasonably cheap to do, and the locals still have public transport that is somewhat more efficient than normal busses. The only thing is weather or not you make them fully electric :)

[@herrsan]

why would you say that it is cheaper to maintain than a train?

[@qjtvaddict]

Or change the rails to standard gauge and have the rail cars couple with Shinkansen trains and decouple at parts of the route through run some high speed trains via the lines

[@kevanhubbard9673]

More expensive as you have to maintain the guided busways plus the rail track might also be used by freight?

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

@@kevanhubbard9673 There might be areas where freight is still run on the line, but a lot of the time it is not. In those cases you could convert. But it also depends on the freight capacity.....perhaps it could be replaced by a guided truck? (I have no idea if that is possible)

[@MirkoC407]

It proved to be more expensive. There are 12 (solo) to 17 (articulated) tons of bus always going over the same spot. So wear on the busway is much higher than on a normal road or even a dedicated bus lane. Just if a railway is worn you unscrew some bolts, carry away the old rail and screw the new one in place. With the guided busway you have to grind off and costly dispose fibre reinforced concrete and cast new lanes from that same stuff again.

[@jamesnicholls9969]

Bristol was going to have a similar guided busway, until the mayor got involved and trashed it. it now has only a little portion of guided busway because he couldn't read a map and thought it was going somewhere it was not. thankfully he only lasted one term in office

[@GA-ik6pi]

There’s nothing like that here in U.K. 🤣 we have trams, but this is so innovative!😃

[@robinwong8046]

We have the same bus in Adelaide, South Australia, there are only a few routes. The Government has both the patent so that they can maintain the guiding system for the tracked part of the routes.

[@trwhite1266]

I'm curious if, when operating as a train, it still has to be guided by the driver/conductor?

[@zilongliang9707]

Nope…In Australia, adelaide O-Bahn, when the bus is in the O-bahn，the driver only need to do，just push the gas pedal and go.

[@BuzzinsPetRock78]

Not so much guided/steered, but he does have full control over the speed, just like a normal bus. Other than the guided steerin, it IS a normal bus :)

[@VojtaVydra]

Perfect description!

[@fernbedek6302]

It’s fun how blurry the line between train and bus gets. (The closest Canada has is the rubber tire trains for the Montreal Metro.)

[@philipthomey7884]

Fat white rubber tires. They're cute and quiet too.

[@อุบลศรีหาญเจริญกิจ]

This is the first time that i see! WOW amazing!

[@strafrag1]

Amazing stuff. Thanks for posting.

[@marks150]

面白い！シアトル市を思い出しました。シアトルの中心部の地下でバスと路面電車は同じトンネルを使っていました。しかし最近バスはトンネルをもう使わないと聞きました。

[@hangster897]

Los Angeles has some bus like that. Going from the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood. Traveling on busway with no other traffic, but has traffic lights while crossing intersections.

[@kuanysh_sartay]

It's called BRT(Bus Rapid Transit). System which is quite popular in Latin America, Asia and USA. Bus rides on dedicated way, mostly on the ground, but with own wheels, have a priority in intersections and have bus stops like small stations. In Japan a great example of BRT is Kesennuma line.

[@Ohh_itsallen]

I haven’t seen this type of transportation …. Wow 🤩…..

[@remaG_eht_auhsohJkraM]

Cool 👍

[@tuktuujaartuq]

This was very fascinating. I have never heard of this before. I have visited Adelaide numerous times but I didn't realize they had this bus system.

[@andrewmackemzie4565]

Sf has busses that use overhead elictral wires, and our segmented. But sadly do not run on tracks..

[@SebastienFortin07]

Fascinating!

[@rockdude9080]

Jakarta Indonesia has this kind of network called transjakarta busway but only some parts are elevated. Most of it are on the road with separated lanes.

[@Yamislittleangel55]

I live in the UK, and I’ve never heard or seen any of these buses...but they look and sound so cool! Maybe once I gain the confidence to travel again, I’ll see if I can find one! XD

[@CreatorPolar]

You won’t have a problem finding them as they are pretty common in the UK

[@Yamislittleangel55]

@@CreatorPolar But I’ve never seen one...And I’m sure they’re not where I live as I live in the far south of a England. Looking at the comments, it looks like they’re in London and Yorkshire.

[@kimtaejeong805]

We hv one here too in Malaysia called the Sunway Brt Line. Although our brt is just a short distance line with 7-8 station that streches abt 5km but at least it does help commuters especially students commute around the big hotspots in Subang Jaya city like the universities, Sunway Mall/Sunway Lagoon water park, etc, plus it also has an integrated station with the lrt. There were once a talk on making another Brt line that streches abt 33km with 24 stations, but it just nvr came to fruition i guess😅

[@takeusaway3]

Aichi-ken is seriously the best!! I love living here.