The number of people using public transportation such as buses and trains is on the decline. In depopulated areas, the reality is that there are not many customers in the future. Without customers, transportation cannot survive. In fact, since 2000, 46 railway lines, totaling 1,193 km, have been closed. As for route buses, approximately 13,600 km nationwide will be closed in the 10 years up to 2021. The number of taxi drivers has decreased from 330,000 in 2012 to 230,000 in 2022. Meanwhile, the population is decreasing in local governments. Public transportation such as trains and buses are being closed down at an accelerated pace due to a decrease in users.
Currently, municipalities are providing subsidies to transportation companies to maintain the transportation network. However, bus companies are facing problems such as aging drivers and a shortage of drivers. Unprofitable routes cannot be maintained forever. When there is a problem, it is the wisdom of local residents to find a solution. Asahi Town in Toyama Prefecture is trying something new. They have created a system where passengers who want to travel get into the car of a driver who travels between each district in the town and the city center. Town officials drive Suzuki minicars to pick up and drop off residents. In the next stage, Asahi Town is recruiting drivers from local residents who own their own cars. Seven people have already applied to be resident drivers, and the number is expected to increase. In 2020, about 10 to 20 people used the service per week, and the annual operating cost was 5 million yen.
The savior of the declining region will be Japan Post. The volume of mail handled, which was 19.1 billion pieces in fiscal 2011, fell by about 25% to 14.4 billion pieces in fiscal 2022. Demand for Yu-Pack home delivery is also declining in depopulated areas. If the number of packages to be transported decreases, the number of unprofitable routes will increase. Furthermore, there is a law that is troubling Japan Post. The Postal Privatization Act requires Japan Post to provide universal service. Japan Post must always run fixed delivery routes regardless of the daily volume of parcels. There are more than 23,000 post offices nationwide, covering everything from municipalities with a few hundred people to the centers of large cities. The value of the unique network that stretches throughout the country is increasing in a society with a declining population. For example, if post office cars and motorcycles could transport residents, as in Asahi Town, the problem could be solved. By using existing delivery routes, it is possible to move both people and goods without the need to increase the number of drivers.