The Kyoto City bus (京都市営バス)
The Kyoto City bus is operated by Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. The newly established Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau is in charge of the operation. Locally, it is often called simply a city bus.
The bus operation occupies an important position in the city's transportation network. The buses run mainly in Kyoto City, but some of them also stop in Nagaokakyo City (for example, at a bus stop in front of JR Nagaokakyo Station) and in Muko City (for example, at a bus stop in Mozume).
In Kyoto Prefecture, there are privately operated bus companies with company names in which Kyoto is included, such as Kyoto Kotsu (one based in Maizuru City and another in Kameoka City (present Keihan Kyoto Kotsu)) and Kyoto Bus, but these aren't related at all to the Kyoto City government.
Keihoku-cho operated its own buses before being merged into Kyoto City in 2005, but the operation of these buses has been maintained by the Kyoto Keihoku Furusato (hometown) public corporation as Keihoku Furusato (hometown) buses, not as Kyoto City buses.
History
Kyoto City started its first bus-operation business in 1928 in the 2.5-km section between Demachiyanagi and the botanical garden. Since then the city has expanded its operation within the city and in areas bordering the city, with the basic policy of using city trams in the older city area and using city buses in the new city area. In 1932, the city also started a trolleybus business.
However, after World War II began it became difficult to acquire fuel for these buses, and the city tried to introduce charcoal-powered buses, electric-powered buses and coalite-powered buses, as well as tried to produce charcoal for the charcoal-powered buses by itself. Additionally, to hold down fuel consumption it set the hours during which no bus was operated, reduced the bus routes and introduced the operation of express buses.
Concurrently, the city took over the operation of the private bus companies in Kyoto City, making Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau the only bus operator in the city. It was decided that bus-operation businesses in Kyoto City should be integrated with the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau, but such an integration wasn't in fact executed because, as described above, nearly all bus operations had already been integrated with those of the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau. However, there remain bus routes operated by private bus companies or by JR Bus because, when Kyoto City tried to integrate the bus operations, Keihan Jidosha (now Keihan Bus Co., Ltd.), Nara Electric Railway (now Kintetsu Bus Co., Ltd.), Ujitawara Jidosha (now Keihan Bus Co., Ltd.), all of which were involved in the integration in the Osaka City area, and Tanba Kotsu (now Keihan Kyoto Bus), which was involved in the integration in the Tango region, were not included in the targets for the integration; moreover, the Railway Ministry-operated bus was out of consideration for integration in wartime.
The current situation of Kyoto City buses
Because the scheduled operation of the Kyoto City buses is difficult due to traffic congestion in the city and the recent sluggishness of business, the number of users of these buses has diminished, making it more difficult to operate a bus business. The operation of certain bus routes has been entrusted to private companies (the operation of all bus routes in Yamashina Ward and the eastern area of Fushimi Ward has been transferred to Keihan Bus, nearly all the routes in northern Sakyo Ward have been entrusted to Kyoto Bus, and the operation of some routes in the western and southern areas have been entrusted to private companies). Given such changes in bus operators, the measure to continue the special bus passes for senior citizens has been taken; with these cost-cutting measures the operation has been in the black financially over the past several years, whereby the amount of accumulated debts has gradually been reduced.
When MK Co., Ltd. (a taxi company) announced in 2002 that it would enter the route bus-operation business with fares that were less than those for Kyoto City buses, the city side complained that such an entrance would affect the business operation of the Kyoto City bus, and MK, after deciding in 2005 not to enter the business, has participated in an experiment to verify the feasibility of using small-sized buses or jumbo-taxis instead of ordinary buses as a consignment operator (with MK being in charge of the operation of jumbo-taxis on Route 84). The midsize buses that MK prepared in advance became unnecessary, and consequently were taken over by Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau through a lease arrangement.
The operation schedules of many bus routes, particularly in the Higashiyama area, are set mostly for tourists, in consideration of the fact that Kyoto is a city for sightseeing. Raku' express buses dedicated to sightseeing purposes are also operated. In the central area of the city, many buses run in the daytime, but some of them come bumper-to-bumper or don't come for a long time when the traffic conditions are poor.
The operation of the buses generally ends between 22:00 and 23:00, but some circular routes and main routes operate until about 23:00, considering that the buses on those routes have been operated as replacements for the former city trams. However, there remains the situation in which no bus service is available for persons getting off the trains arriving at the central city area during the midnight period, and there are opinions that midnight buses should be available as in other big cities (at fares twice as high as those in the daytime); perhaps in response to such opinions, the operation of Kawaramachi Yoru Bus (night buses from Kawaramachi), from Kawaramachi-dori Street to Kyoto Station, have started, but extremely inconvenient situations remain unchanged in areas that are located remotely from the central city area and where no railway service is available.
Recently, on Nishioji-dori Street it is promoted to run City buses as scheduled, for example by introducing a system in which a traffic-control signal is controlled by giving priority to public vehicles (a traffic light becomes green automatically when a bus approaches the crossing). In the sections where many buses are operated, one of the lanes is set for exclusive use by buses during the morning and evening rush hours, but so far the provision of them hasn't been effective because general vehicles run or park in the lanes, violating the rule (particularly around Shijo-Kawaramachi Station on the weekends, one of the lanes is entirely occupied by vehicles illegally parked there, and confrontations with police officers are always a concern, thus constituting a big obstacle in the operation of buses as scheduled).
Bus locations
For the Kyoto City buses, information about bus locations is provided at the main bus stops (as shown in the photograph). This is called a bus location system. Information about bus locations, including bus stops where display units aren't provided, is given through Poke-Roke (bus locations in a pocket) on the internet or cell phones.
In the system using Poke-Roke, a Poke-Roke code is assigned to each bus stop to enable finding a destination from among the many bus stops in the city. By inputting this code, one can easily find the bus stop he/she is looking for. Since September 30, 2005, QR codes have been listed on the timetables at all bus stops. When you read such a code using a cell phone with a camera function, one can immediately reach the page having location information for the corresponding destination.
Payment methods
Bus fare can be paid through the following means:
Cash
It is the simplest method. When more small change is needed, one can change a \1000 note into coins or a coin into smaller ones with the money changer placed beside the bus driver. However, change isn't available for notes higher than \1000, so one must have a \1000 note or coins. Discount tickets for the connecting use of a subway line aren't available within the buses. You must purchase a Traffica Kyo card (Kyoto traffic card).
Books of tickets
Ticket books are usable for buses within the Kyoto City area.
Tickets of this type can be used not only on City buses but also in those of other bus companies in the city. They're available at the sales offices of the bus companies and the bureaus (including their branch offices) or major bus terminals (also provided with automatic ticket vending machines that also sell various cards) and at some retail stores in the city.
The tickets are available in denominations ranging from \70 to \260 in increments of \10, and a set of 11 tickets can be purchased at a price of 10 times the value of an individual ticket. For a book of \220 tickets, a book for \1000 (five \220 tickets, worth \1100), a book for \3000 (15 \220 tickets + one \110 tickets, in total worth \3410) and a book for \5000 (26 \220 tickets, worth \5720) are available. These tickets are discounted in comparison with payment in cash. Tickets of this type can't be used for buses running on the \100 circular route.
Only ticket books for \1000 (five \220 tickets, worth \1100) were available on buses, but after April 1, 2005, those ticket books were replaced by the Tokutoku (profitable) City Bus card (for the subsequent development, refer to the item for abolished cards).
Books of discounted tickets commonly usable in the daytime
Tickets of this type can be used in the section with the uniform fare, during the daytime (when getting off a bus between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) weekdays. You can't use these tickets on Sundays and holidays or outside the uniform fare sections. Books of tickets for \2000 (13 \220 tickets, worth \2860) and a book of tickets for \1000 (13 \110 tickets, worth \1430) are available. With many restrictions, the discount amounts are large. These tickets are also usable for the route buses of other bus companies, but they're unusable for buses running on the \100 circular route.
Cards
Traffica Kyo card (Kyoto traffic card)
Prepaid cards (for using transportation means) specific to the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau
The actually usable worth of such a card is slightly higher than the paid value, as is that of a book of tickets. A discount fare is applied when you use two City buses or a City bus and a subway train in connection with one another. Currently, a \3,000 card (worth \3,300 in use) and a \1,000 card (worth \1,100 in use) are available.
The Surutto Kansai Miyako card (a card usable throughout the Kansai metropolitan area)
It's a prepaid card usable for many forms of transportation in the Keihanshin area. In contrast with the Traffica Kyo card, no benefits, such as an increase in usable worth or an application of a discount rate when using transportation means in connection with one another, are available with the card. In addition to ordinary cards, in some seasons the bureau sells types that are more convenient for touring Kyoto, doing so jointly with other companies in Surutto KANSAI.
Cards specific to the City buses
These prepaid cards are usable only for the Kyoto City buses. It's a \2000 card worth \2250 in use, offering a slight discount as a book of tickets. Only cards of one type are available, but no discount fare is applied to connected use of different transportation means. This card is also available in the buses running on the routes under control of the Rakusai business office (routes, 28, 29, 33, Special 33, 69, 73, 91, Special South 1, West 1, West 2, Rin-West (臨西)2, West 3, Special West 3, West 4, West 5, Rin-West (臨西)5, West 6, and West 8).
One-day card usable for City buses alone
This card is usable any number of times within a day for Kyoto City buses in the uniform fare section. Available for a relatively low price of \500, this card is quite useful when you use City buses more than three times in the uniform fare sections. This card is available not only on buses running on the routes under control of the Rakusai business office (routes, 28, 29, 33, Special 33, 69, 73, 91, Special South 1, West 1, West 2, Rin-West (臨西)2, West 3, Special West 3, West 4, West 5, Rin-West (臨西)5, West 6 and West 8) but also on other buses.
However, the card can't be used for the route buses operated by other bus companies. In the other companies' buses running in the uniform fare sections, it is announced as well as indicated on displays that the card is unusable for the bus.
When this card is first used for a bus running on a uniform fare section route, the usage date is stamped on it and you're only required to have the date checked by the driver when using it later, as when using a season ticket; however, when you use it for a bus on a multi-section route you must pass it through a reading machine when getting on and off the bus. Riding a bus across a uniform fare section boundary, you must pay additional fare (which isn't the difference between the ordinary bus fare for your ride and the value paid for the card but is instead the amount to be paid when you're assumed to have boarded at the initial stop within the section).
One-day or two-day tickets for a Kyoto tour
A one-day or two-day ticket can be used any number of times in the given period of time for all Kyoto City route buses, trains on all Kyoto Subway lines and buses on the main routes of the Kyoto bus company. Some sightseeing facilities in the city discount their usage fees when you show the ticket to an officer concerned.
When this card is first used for a bus running on a uniform fare section route, the usage date is stamped on it and you are only required to have the date checked by the driver when using it later, as when using a season ticket, but when you use it for a bus on a multi-section route, you must pass it through a reading machine when getting on and off the bus.
The note described in the following is common to all cards and is applied to this card as well: Using a card for a bus running on a uniform fare section route, you are only required to pass it through the card reader placed beside the driver when getting off the bus, but when using it for a bus on a multi-section route you must also pass it through a reading machine when getting on the bus. In this case, the use of numbered tickets becomes unnecessary.
Abolished cards
Tokutoku (profitable) City Bus card
A prepaid card usable only for the Kyoto City buses, which became available on April 1, 2005.
A \1000 card was worth \1100 in use but was abolished and replaced with a \1000 Traffica Kyo card (Kyoto traffic card), which became available on January 7, 2006 (the Tokutoku (profitable) City Bus cards purchased before the abolition date are still usable as new cards).
Summary of the routes
The routes are classified largely into 'the uniform fare routes,' 'multi-section routes' and 'the \100 circular bus route.'
You must get on each of the buses from the rear-side door and get off from the front-side door, with the fare paid when you disembark.
When using a card, you must pass it through a reading machine upon boarding a bus (when using a multi-section route) and when disembarking in order to pay the necessary fare.
Buses introduced in 2006 or later have an LCD monitor instead of the previous bus stop name display and fare display where light-emitting diodes were used to show information about routes, bus stops and fares.
The LED display unit, instead of a direction-displaying cloth, has become prominent recently for displaying a destination/route on route buses, but such a unit has been introduced only partially in the Kyoto City buses and the cloth display is still used mainly in these buses (a different color has been used for the buses for each of "uniform fare route," "circular route" and "multi-section route" as described later, and it's said that this fact largely affects the use of direction-displaying cloths).
The uniform fare routes
The routes where buses run on uniform fare sections are in the central area of Kyoto City. Many of the famous sightseeing spots in Kyoto City are located within these sections. The uniform fare is \220 (for adults). The route numbers of the uniform fare routes are written in white characters on a blue direction-displaying cloth (with some exceptions for routes 75 and 81).
Circular bus routes
Buses on routes 201 to 208 circulate along artery roads within the city. Those buses are operated relatively frequently every day. The route numbers of these routes are written in white characters on an orange direction-displaying cloth (with certain exceptions). To begin with, bus routes 200 to 209 have been provided to replace the Kyoto City trams whose operation was discontinued (some of the routes are partially different from those of the trams). On some of these routes, rapid buses, which don't stop at some bus stops, are operated for commuters and students.
When a bus uses 'To X' for the destination display, the place in the 'X' position is the terminal of bus operation.
"Raku" bus
Routes 100, 101 and 102 are for connecting famous sightseeing spots, such as Rokuon-ji Temple, Jisho-ji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, with major railway stations, and are operated as 'express' buses that stop only at major bus stops (they're called 'express' buses, but it isn't necessary to pay any extra express fare to ride them). The bodies of 'Raku' buses, or so-called wrapping buses, are wrapped with a display for the 'Raku' bus, but until the end of March 2006, so-called 'chin-chin buses,' whose bodies were designed in the image of a Kyoto City tram, were also operated.
With white as the base color, the body color of the "Raku" buses on Route 100 is russet, that on Route 101 is green, and that on Route 102 is yellow. Route 100 is Kyoto-ekimae (in front of Kyoto Station) - Hakubutsukan (Museum)/Sanjusangen-domae (in front of Sanjusangen-do Temple) - Gojo-zaka Slope - Gion - Heian-Jingu Shrine - Ginkaku-ji Temple - Kinrin-shako Depot - Ginkaku-ji Temple - Heian-Jingu Shrine - Jingu-michi (shrine road) - returning to Kyoto-ekimae running on the same route in the reverse direction. Route 101 is Kyoto Station - Shijo-Karasuma - Shijo-Horikawa - Nijo-jo Castle - Horikawa-Imadegawa - Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine - Kinkakuji-michi (the Kinkaku-ji Temple road) - Kitaoji-Horikawa - the Kitaoji bus terminal. Route 102 is the Kitaoji bus terminal - Kitaoji-Horikawa - Kinkakuji-michi (the Kinkaku-ji Temple road) - Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine - Horikawa-Imadegawa - Karasuma-Imadegawa - Hyakumanben - Ginkakuji-michi (the Ginkaku-ji Temple road) - Kinrin-shako Depot. You can change a "Raku" bus to another "Raku" bus at each of the bus stops of Kyoto Station or Kinrin-shako Depot, as well as those between the Kitaoji bus terminal and Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine.
Multi-section routes
These routes are provided outside the uniform fare sections. There are the routes that go from the central part of the city to its suburbs and those connecting those suburbs. On a bus running on a multi-section route, a display of 'numbered ticket-using bus' is made in front of the bus. The route numbers of these multi-section routes are written in black characters on a white direction-displaying cloth (with certain exceptions).
When you board such a bus, you must take a numbered ticket (an announcement, 'Please take a numbered tickets at the entrance,' is made) or must pass a relevant card through the card reader, and when disembarking the bus you must pay the amount corresponding to your numbered ticket, which is displayed (or must pass the card through the card reader again in order to pay the fare).
If, when you get on a bus, you don't take a numbered ticket or don't pass the necessary card through the card reader, it is the rule that 'you must pay the highest fare on the fare table.'
When you use a bus on a multi-section route within a uniform fare section, the fare is \220 (for adults). If the route number of a bus is written in black characters on a while direction-displaying cloth, the bus is on a multi-section route.
It is a feature of these buses that, when the fare display in the bus is going to be changed (the fares are going to be raised), the announcement, 'The fares are going to be changed,' is made following the announcement of the name of the next stop. Similar announcements are made on other companies' buses, such as on Kyoto buses (when a bus running in a uniform fare section approaches the stop at the boundary of the uniform fare section, the announcement, 'This bus is entering the area outside the uniform fare section,' is made).
When a rolling cloth was used for displaying fare tables, the announcement was made while the cloth was being rolled. Given the expansive area constituting the uniform fare sections, there are many routes that run only in the uniform fare sections and neither a fare table nor a machine to issue numbered tickets is provided for the buses dedicated for the uniform fare sections; consequently, it's considered that such an announcement is made to prevent the occurrence of the following phenomenon: when a person unfamiliar to the fact that fares depend on sections happens to get on a bus running on a multi-section route, the person gets off the bus without noticing that insufficient fare has been paid.
Additionally, for a bus on a multi-section route, a circular sign board on which 'This bus uses a numbered ticket' was written vertically was placed on the bumpers. Although dark colors--green characters on a dark-blue background--were used for the sign, it was highly visible because the board size was somewhat large. The board has been replaced with a sticker on which the characters are written horizontally, perhaps because a rectangular white 'bear' sign has been placed for the buses in which an air conditioner is installed (black characters on a yellow background are used for the sticker).
Of the major sightseeing spots in the city area, Arashiyama, Takao (Kyoto City), Katsura Imperial Villa and Shugakuin Imperial Villa are located outside the uniform fare sections.
The \100 circular bus route
A person, regardless of his or her age, can use a bus on this route for \100. A bus on this route circles Miike-dori Street, Karasuma-dori Street and Shijo-dori Street in the downtown area, going counterclockwise. These buses are operated at 10-minute intervals in the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays (except on January 1). The distances between adjacent bus stops on this route are relatively shorter than those of other bus routes.
Kawaramachi Yoru Bus (night buses from Kawaramachi)
The buses of Kawaramachi Yoru Bus are operated in the night to connect Kawaramachi Sanjo to Kyoto Station.
To improve access to areas along the JR and Kintetsu lines from the central area of Kyoto City via Kyoto Station, the Traffic Research Laboratory for Promoting Better Urbanization of Kyoto--a business association established by local store operators--started its operation on December 1, 2007 using the system in which the Laboratory entrusts the operation to the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau.
Such a bus, starting at Kawaramachi Sanjo, runs on Kawaramachi-dori Street and goes directly to Kyoto Station after four stops.
Ten buses are operated between 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. in ten-minute intervals (operated in the same schedule throughout the week and on weekends).
The fare is \220, as on other routes of the City bus, and all of the season tickets, and ticket books and one-day cards are usable.
The operation route
Kawaramachi Sanjo-kita (north) - Kawaramachi Sanjo-minami (south) - Shijo Kawaramachi-kita (north) - Shijo Kawaramachi-minami (south) - Kyoto Station
Current business offices
The Nishigamo business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Yamanomori-cho, Kita Ward (Kyoto City), Kyoto City
The month and year of its establishment: December 1970
The routes in charge (those operated directly): 1, 9/Rapid 9, 37, 46
The routes in charge (those entrusted to the Kyoto bus): 4, 5, 31, 65, 67
The Karasuma business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Koyamakita-kamifusa-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City
The month and year of its establishment: October 1978
The routes in charge (those operated directly): Express 101, north 1, north 3, north 8, 204, 206
The Kinrin branch office (former Kinrin business office) of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Jodoji-shinnyo-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto Prefecture
The month and year of its establishment: March 1976
The routes in charge (those operated directly): Express 102, 17, 203
The Umezu business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Saiin-kasame-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto Prefecture
The month and year of its establishment: December 1967
The routes in charge (those operated directly): 3, 27, 32, 80, Express 100, 201, Rapid 205 and regular sightseeing buses
The routes in charge (those entrusted to Keihan Bus): 10, 11, 12, 59, 93, M1
The Kujo business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Higashikujo-shimotonoda-cho, Minami Ward (Kyoto City), Kyoto City
The month and year of its establishment: October 1977
The routes in charge (those operated directly): 202/Rapid 202, 205/Rapid 205, 207, 208
The routes in charge (those entrusted to Keihan Bus): 15, 16, 26, 50, 51, 55, 71, 75
The Rakusai business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Oehigashi-shinbayashi-cho, Saikyo Ward, Kyoto City
The month and year of its establishment: May 1979
The routes in charge (those entrusted to the Kintetsu bus): 29, 33/Special 33, 70, 93, West 1, West 2, Rin-West 2, West 3, Special West 3, West 4, West 5, Rin-West 5, West 6, West 8
The routes in charge (those entrusted to Hankyu Bus Co., Ltd.): 28, 69, 91, Special South 1
The Yokooji business office of Kyoto City bus
The location: Yokooji-hashimoto-cho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City
The month and year of its establishment: November 1973
The routes in charge (those entrusted to Hankyu Bus): 6, 8, 13/Special 13/Rin 13, 18/Special 18, 22, 42, 43, 81/Special 81, South 1, South 2/Special South 2
The routes in charge (those entrusted to Keihan Bus): 19, 20, 78, South 3, South 5, South 8 and the \100 circular bus route
The routes in charge (those entrusted to MK (a taxi company)): 84, Rin-South 5
Abolished business offices
The business offices that were abolished in 1979 or later are handled here. No business office that has been downgraded to a branch office or branch station is included.
The Gojo business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Nishikyogokuminami-shozakai-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City
It was in charge of bus operation on the following routes: the circular route via the Mibu bus yard, routes connecting the northern area of Ukyo Ward (the Utano and Omuro areas) to the central city area, and uniform fare routes starting at Kyoto Station. The regular sightseeing buses operated jointly with Keihan Bus also belonged to this business office. The operation of this business office was closed in January 2003. A business office of Nippon Express Co., Ltd., is now located there.
(Although the lot was in fact purchased by Rohm, it was then transferred to Nippon Express Co., Ltd., in exchange for a lot of the latter company, and a business office described above was moved there.)
The Daigo business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Daigo, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City
This business office was in charge of bus operation on routes in Yamashina Ward and in the eastern area of Fushimi Ward (the Daigo area). After the Tozai line of Kyoto Municipal Subway started its operation, the operation of all these routes was transferred to Keihan Bus and the business office was closed in October 1997. A condominium (DELPA Daigo) is now located there. Incidentally, this business office was located across the road until March 1983, and there the Kyoto City-run Daigo-nishi (west) housing complex is now located.
The Takano business office of the Kyoto City bus
The location: Takano-tamaoka-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City
This business office was in charge of bus operations on multi-section routes in Sakyo Ward. The operation of this business office was closed in March 1986. The Kyoto City sports center for the physically handicapped is now located there.
The Santetsu branch of the Kujo business office
The location: Nishinotoin-dori Shiokoji-agaru Higashishiokoji-cho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City
It was in charge of bus operations on uniform fare routes starting at Kyoto Station. The operation of this business office was closed in October 1983. Today the Integrated Shimogyo Ward office is located there, but a street-level portion of the office building is also used as a bus yard.
The Kitano branch of the Karasuma business office
The location: Ichijo-dori Nanahonmatsu-nishiiru Takigahana-cho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City
Prior to July 1961, this site was used as the Kitano depot for the Horikawa line (Kitano line) of Kyoto City Trams. It was in charge of bus operation on the routes connecting the western area of Kita Ward (the Kinugasa area) to the city center area. In the bus business office era, a Series 27 tram, which was used on the Horikawa line, was kept beside the front gate in a glass-walled room (currently, the tram is kept in an operational state at Umekoji Park). The operation of this branch was closed in May 1979. The Kyoto Culture Hall for Children is now located there.
The Hachijo business office
The location: Higashikujo-nishisanno-cho, Minami Ward (Kyoto City), Kyoto City
This office, located in front of the Hachijo-guchi (Hachijo entrance/exit) of Kyoto Station, was in charge of bus operations on the routes starting at Kyoto Station (Hachijo-guchi). In the past, the Kujo depot for the trams was placed very near to this business office, and consequently, after the operation of Kyoto City trams was discontinued, the depot site came to be used as a business office for the City bus, forcing the closure of this office in May 1979. Avanti, a commercial building constructed along with the redevelopment of the area, and Hotel Keihan Kyoto, are now located there.
Buses
All of the four domestic models (from Isuzu Motors, Ltd., Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, Hino Motors, Ltd., and Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd.) have been introduced. However, the ratio of buses from Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd. is extremely small compared with those of the other three models. In all of the four domestic models, the bodies manufactured by Nishinippon Shatai Kogyo Co., Ltd., are used; however, until the 1990s about half the buses had bodies manufactured by Nishinippon Shatai Kogyo. Additionally, until Nishinippon Shatai Kogyo Co., Ltd., became a maker designated by Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Ltd., the City bus was the easternmost business operator that still purchased bus bodies from the company. In the past, each of the business offices used its own bus model, but now such a practice isn't strictly followed. Low-floor buses has been introduced since 1997, and since 2001 the newly introduced buses have basically been of the low-floor type. Additionally, the City bus has continued to introduce CNG vehicles and (CNG) low-floor buses.
When a Kyoto City bus is put out of service, its registration is permanently deleted, making it basically impossible for it to be registered again in Japan. Therefore, those used buses are only found outside Japan (for example, in Myanmar) and are never sold in Japan.
The chime rung upon disembarkment
Three consecutive tapping-tone sounds constitute the chime that is rung upon disembarkment from one of those buses, which is quite rare in Japan (the sound closely resembles the chime used in the JR East Series E233 train cars of the East Japan Railway Company).
Others
When the one-man buses was first introduced in the City bus, a system of getting on from the front-side door and paying the fare immediately, rarely used in the Kansai area, was employed. This system was introduced to conform to the one used in the one-man city trams, but subsequently it was changed in the first half of the 1970s to the one in which you get on from the rear-side door and pay the fare later, because such a system had been used in all the private company-operated buses running in Kyoto City. In the meantime, for the buses using the system of getting on from the rear-side door and paying the fare later, a sign reading 'One-man bus: Please get on from the rear-door' was displayed on the left of the direction-displaying cloth, which is placed on the front side of the bus, and also on the side surface of the bus body.
(The City trams continued using the system of getting on from the front-side door and paying the fare immediately, until the operation was discontinued.)
In Kyoto City, many traditional events are held under the conditions of temporary traffic control (especially the Gion Matsuri and Jidai Matsuri festivals), and Eikiden road relay races are held every winter throughout the entire city area, forcing the bus routes--including those of other companies--to be changed or the bus operation on some routes to be canceled. Road traffic around Arashiyama is controlled in the autumn color season, forcing some bus routes, including those of other companies, to be changed.
The names of some bus stops of private companies are different from those of the corresponding bus stops of the Kyoto City bus that are located at the same places (for example, 'Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station' for the Kyoto City bus versus 'Kawaramachi Nijo' for other companies, 'Kyoto-daigaku Nogakubu-mae' for the Kyoto City bus versus 'Nogakubu-mae' for other companies, and 'Kamihatecho Kyotozokei Geijutsudaigaku-mae' for the Kyoto City bus versus 'Kamihate-cho' for Kyoto Bus).
PiTaPa has been usable in the Kyoto Municipal Subway system, but its introduction to the City route buses will be delayed by the time the fare-collecting boxes are updated (the exact date hasn't been decided), considering the cost of making it usable.