Governor experiences riding a fuel cell bus

On Friday, July 24, Governor Masuzoe experienced riding a fuel cell bus.

With the aim to realize a hydrogen society, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) has set a goal of introducing at least 100 fuel cell buses by 2020. In preparation for the use of fuel cell buses next fiscal year by Toei Bus (TMG Bureau of Transportation), the TMG will carry out road tests on the vehicles from July 27 to July 30.

Having taken a test ride prior to the field test, the governor said, “This was my first time to ride a hydrogen-powered bus, and it was so quiet. The bus accelerated smoothly, and swayed little as it doesn’t change gears. Also, due to the fact that the fuel tank that houses the hydrogen fuel is located on the roof of the bus, there are no steps inside the bus and the floor is level throughout. This type of bus is very friendly to small children and senior citizens, so I hope engineers in this field will put further efforts so that the buses can be launched on the market as soon as possible.”