Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau

The Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau (鹿児島市交通局) is a public transportation authority of Kagoshima City, Japan. The bureau operates trams and bus lines. From April 1, 2005, together with Nangoku Kōtsū and JR Kyūshū Bus, the bureau introduced RapiCa, a smart card ticketing system.

The bureau was founded in 1928 before acquiring control of the Kagoshima Electric Tramway (鹿児島電気軌道株式会社) for 4,963,775 yen and 78 sen in 1929. The new organisation inherited 51 electric trains and 3 freight cars.

Kagoshima City Tram
Kagoshima City Tram (鹿児島市電) is a modern tramway and heritage tramway. There are more than 10 million users annually.

Creation
The first tram line was established in 1912.

In 1929, the Bureau acquired control of the Kagoshima Electric Tramway (鹿児島電気軌道株式会社) for 4,963,775 yen and 78 sen, moving towards public ownership.

World War Two
Due to air raids in 1945, only 3 out of 62 trains were left intact and operational.

Postwar
The ultra-low-floor train (U-Tram) began operating on January 15, 2002. Initially, three cars were introduced, with a further three vehicles added between May 2004 and March 2005. There are currently a total of nine vehicles on the line in operation.

Two articulated ultra-low-floor trains (Utram II) began operation on April 26, 2007.

On March 30, 2017, two ultra-low-floor trains (Utram III) began operating.

Lines and routes

 * Lines: Officially, there are four lines with the total distance of 13.1 km.
 * Dai-Ikki-Line ("Phase 1 Line", 第一期線): Takenohashi &mdash; Kagoshima-Ekimae
 * Dai-Niki-Line ("Phase 2 Line", 第二期線): Takamibaba &mdash; Kagoshima-Chūō-Ekimae
 * Taniyama Line (谷山線): Takenohashi &mdash; Taniyama
 * Toso Line (唐湊線): Kagoshima-Chūō-Ekimae &mdash; Kōrimoto
 * Routes: There are two routes regularly in service by using one or more lines above.
 * ■ Route 1 (1系統): Kagoshima-Ekimae &mdash; Takamibaba &mdash; Takenohashi &mdash; Kōrimoto &mdash; Taniyama
 * ■ Route 2 (2系統): Kagoshima-Ekimae &mdash; Takamibaba &mdash; Kagoshima-Chūō-Ekimae &mdash; Kōrimoto

Tramcars come once per five minutes generally, once per one minute in busier sections. The fare is ¥170 for all the sections.

Modern
Current modern rolling stock includes the Little Dancer line of trams, including the Type A3, A5, and X.

Historic and Cultural
There are a number of historic trams running on the network, as well as unique tourist and community outreach trams.

The sightseeing retro tram, ‘Kagoden’, is a modified modern tram, changed to look like a historic Taisho Era tram. It entered service in December 2012, and was introduced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of streetcar operation in Kagoshima City. However, in December 2021, it was announced that the service would be abolished at the end of 2021 due to slumping passenger numbers. The train has since been operated as a regular service vehicle since January 4, 2022.

The Kagoshima C6 Cafe Tram is a unique tram that is exclusively available for private charters. It is a refurbished vintage car built in 1960 and now features renovated interior, complete with counter tables and chairs.

The 'Kagoshima Machi Meguri Promotion Project' in 2011 involved university students from Kagoshima City who designed a tram, nicknamed 'Denden'. The primary inspiration for the tram's design was the polar bear from the Kagoshima City Hirakawa Animal Park, which was then combined with the design of a black pig, a local speciality. The final design was an even split of both animals.

Establishment
The first automobile transportation lines in Kagoshima City began operating on December 31, 1929 (route length: 15.353 km, 8 vehicles). On April 8, 1930, the city government acquired "Ao Bus '' of Kagoshima Jidosha and began operating all city buses.

World War Two
During WW2, the national lack of gasoline, firewood and charcoal meant steam powered vehicles appeared. During this time, the first female driver was also introduced. Due to air raids in 1945, only 3 out of 62 trains and 3 out of 45 buses remained.

Postwar
On October 22nd 1960, the first one-man operation on buses started alongside modern bus rolling stock.

On March 6th 1970, the 'Love' priority seat system was created. The system focused on bettering accessibly for people with physical disabilities, the elderly, and people with small children.

On March 18th 1994, the tourist attraction bus (Kagoshima City View) began operating.

5 Hybrid buses began operations on February 27, 2006. This marked the start of decarbonisation effort of the city fleet.

On October 18, 2011, the Sakurajima Tour Bus (Sakurajima Island View) began operating.

Privatisation
In 2020, some municipal bus routes (16 routes) were transferred to private operators, marking the end of 90 years of public ownership. Another 4 routes were transferred in April 2021.