OSAKA - The fleet of 190 EV buses introduced for the Osaka-Kansai Expo has been withdrawn from plans for reuse on regular routes, with Osaka Metro abandoning efforts to redeploy the vehicles after the event.
The reason was a string of repeated malfunctions. Current bus drivers and government inspectors have since raised serious concerns over the vehicles' safety and reliability.
Powered by electric motors, producing no exhaust emissions and promoted as environmentally friendly, the EV buses were introduced by Osaka Metro to transport visitors during the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Even after the Expo closed, the buses had been expected to continue operating on city streets. Instead, they now remain parked at Osaka Metro's Morinomiya depot, with the site crowded by rows of unused vehicles.
Most of the buses procured by Osaka Metro were supplied by EV Motors Japan, a company headquartered in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. The company develops and sells buses while outsourcing production to manufacturers in China.
However, the vehicles have been plagued by defects reported across Japan. A driver working for a Tokyo bus company, who still operates EV Motors Japan buses around 23 times a month, said breakdowns were common.
'If you drive them three times, something goes wrong at least once,' the driver said. 'When you ride them every day, your palms sweat constantly.'
The driver also described a near-accident last year, saying the bus drifted right even while the steering wheel was turned left.
'You wonder whether this is really a bus approved by the transport ministry,' the driver said. 'When I know I might be assigned one, I do not even want to go to work.'
Similar trouble has emerged elsewhere. In April last year, buses introduced as school transport in Fukuoka Prefecture were suspended after incidents including vehicles suddenly stopping on roads. In September, an Osaka Metro on-demand bus reportedly lost steering control while out of service and struck a central divider.
Following the repeated failures, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism carried out an on-site inspection in October last year. Problems were found in 113 of 317 vehicles inspected, more than 30% of the total.
In response, Osaka Metro decided last month not to use the 190 buses it had purchased and also abandoned plans to convert them for route bus operations.
EV Motors Japan issued an apology, saying it deeply regretted the concern and inconvenience caused by the buses.
The total amount spent by Osaka Metro on the EV buses was about 7.5 billion yen. Of that, around 4.4 billion yen in subsidies — effectively taxpayer money — came from the national government, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. The national government and Osaka Prefecture are seeking repayment. Osaka City said it is still considering its response.
Osaka Metro has also said it is demanding refunds for purchase payments and the retrieval of the vehicles, while considering further legal steps including damage claims depending on future responses.
Meanwhile, EV Motors Japan has filed for civil rehabilitation with the Tokyo District Court, citing concerns that it could no longer maintain financing. Total liabilities stand at roughly 5.7 billion yen.
The company says it will seek sponsors and attempt to rebuild operations, but the outlook remains uncertain.
With buses carrying passengers' lives in their hands, the scandal has raised broader questions over safety oversight, subsidy use and whether public funds can be recovered.
Source: KTV NEWS
