Assessing Natural Disaster Risks for Bus Operation Bases: Focus on Vulnerability and Importance

2. Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd., Japan

Abstract: Natural disasters that cause massive damage have become frequent in Japan, and the damage extends to the transportation sector. There have been several cases in which local bus services were seriously affected due to natural disasters. In a disaster, buses can play a crucial role by acting as a substitute for damaged railroads and transporting volunteers and goods. To consider countermeasures for bus services, it is necessary to identify disaster risks quantitatively. In this study, we first surveyed several bus companies nationwide to determine how many of their bus operation bases were prone to risk from natural disasters. Subsequently, we developed a disaster risk assessment method that evaluates the vulnerability to natural disasters and the social importance of bus operation bases to compare the priority of countermeasures among bus operation bases. Additionally, we conducted a case study for bus operation bases in three prefectures.