Okayama City’s Sustainable Public Transportation initiative aims to restore accessibility, particularly for residents in underserved areas and elderly populations, by restructuring and expanding the bus network. Through a strong municipal coordination role and public‑private partnerships, the city aligns operators and stakeholders to improve service coverage, efficiency and financial viability. Measures include new routes, expanded connectivity to key destinations, and user‑informed service adjustments. Early results show improved access to essential services. The initiative illustrates how integrated transport policies can support inclusion, environmental sustainability and urban quality of life.
Developing a sustainable public transportation network in Okayama City
Abstract
Okayama City’s Sustainable Public Transportation initiative responds to the progressive decline of the local public transport system, driven by an increasing reliance on private cars. As ridership has fallen, services have been reduced or eliminated, creating a negative feedback loop that further weakens the system. At the same time, the city government has identified a need to improve accessibility on its territory, with a focus on residents of underserved areas and on elderly residents who may have few transport options. To address this, the city government has taken on a coordinating role, promoting public-private partnerships to stabilise operations and improve the convenience and coverage of public transportation, with the broader aim of supporting urban sustainability and quality of life.
The policy’s objectives are centred on restructuring and expanding the bus network to improve accessibility, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Key goals include increasing ridership, improving the financial performance of public transport operations, expanding access to city centres and key hubs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The number of people living in underserved areas should decrease by 17 000 people (including 3 000 elderly) and the number of residents with direct access to hospitals should increase by approximately 50 000 people (including 13 000 elderly). More broadly, the policy aims to contribute to enhanced quality of life, healthier lifestyles, and more vibrant urban environments, while supporting decarbonisation and economic development.
Country: Japan
City: Okayama
EU member state: No
Geographic scale: City
City size: Large (1 540 000 residents in the Okayama FUA)
Date launched: 2024
Current status: Ongoing
Policy pillar(s): Infrastructure, Public services
Target group(s): Children, Youth, Women, Older People, People with disabilities, Low-income households
Funding and budget:
Total budget: EUR 16 000 000
Funding sources: Local funding, National funding, Private funds from transportation providers
EU funds/programmes: Not applicable
Stage 1 – Diagnose
The policy is grounded in a diagnosis of structural decline in public transportation systems, driven by widespread car dependency and resulting in reduced ridership, service cuts, and route eliminations. This has led to growing disparities in access to mobility, particularly for populations without reliable alternatives. The city identifies these dynamics as a critical threat to both social inclusion, economic development and environmental sustainability, providing a rationale for intervention.
Stage 2 – Prioritise
The city organises network restructuring by giving priority to connecting underserved areas, and strengthening links to key destinations such as city centres, railway stations, and hospitals to ensure the public transportation network is competitive in face of private cars. These priorities reflect a balance between objectives of inclusive service provision, economic viability, and sustainability.
Stage 3 – Design and mobilise
The policy is designed around a public-private partnership model, involving local and national government, private transport operators, academic institutions, and citizens. A key design feature is the strong coordinating role of the municipality, which addresses previous inefficiencies linked to fragmentation and competition between operators. By aligning technical, financial, and operational aspects, the City facilitates the development of a more coherent and collaborative system. Stakeholder engagement, including public consultation, plays an important role in refining route planning and service design.
Stage 4 – Implement
Implementation focuses on bus network reorganisation and service expansion, including the introduction of new routes and the extension of existing ones. Planned measures include adding 17 new bus routes, expanding total network length, and improving connectivity to railway stations and key services such as hospitals. The city identifies coordination across stakeholders, funding constraints, and political or regulatory barriers as implementation challenges. Despite these barriers, the policy has delivered significant improvements in accessibility, including a reduction in the population living in poorly served areas and increased access to essential services for tens of thousands of residents.
Stage 5 – Monitor, learn and adapt
The policy incorporates a data-driven monitoring approach, using daily ridership data to inform service adjustments and awareness-raising campaigns. The local government also collects input from users: the project was open for comments before implementation, and users can share feedback on service quality after implementation. User feedback has guided the decision to add additional bus stops and introduce real-time bus location systems.
Identify population groups facing the greatest barriers: the focus on residents in poorly served areas, including elderly populations, enables targeted improvements in accessibility.
Design integrated intervention packages: the policy combines infrastructure changes, financial mechanisms, and behavioural interventions (e.g. awareness campaigns)
Use evidence to adapt policies and methods: ongoing service improvements, such as addition of new bus stops based on user feedback, demonstrate adaptive capacity.
*Okayama City Official Website: "Initiative for the Development of Sustainable Public Transportation Network" (Webpage): https://www.city.okayama.jp/shisei/0000006208.html
This work is issued under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD, and does not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD Member countries.
This document was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
Photo credits: © Marion Lagadic
© OECD 2026
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Attribution – you must cite the work.
Translations – you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text: In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and the translation, only the text of original work should be considered valid.
Adaptations – you must cite the original work and add the following text: This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed in this adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.
Third-party material – the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and for any claims of infringement.
You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.
Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shall be Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one.
