Nishi Tokyo Bus - History

History

Nishi Tokyo Bus is a company established by a merger of Takao Jidōsha Co.(高尾自動車), Okutama Shinkō Co.(奥多摩振興) and Goō Jidōsha Co.(五王自動車) in 1963.

Takao Jidōsha's first route is between Hachiōji Station - Mount Takao foot which started operation in 1916. This is in only three years, after the Keio Denki Kidō (present Keio Corporation) operates around a bus for the first time (temporarily to railroad opening of traffic) in Tokyo in 1913, and in continuous operation, this became the first in the Tokyo-fu. Since This route competed with the route of Hachiōji Shigai Jidōsha (present Keio Dentetsu Bus Hachioji office) which started operation in 1923, Takao Jidōsha established the new route between Hachiōji Station - Kawarajuku, Ongata Village (present Hachioji City) in 1932, extended to Shimo-Ange (下案下) by 1924, and it became the prime route of Takao Jidōsha. It entered under the influence of Keio Teito Electric Railway (present Keio Corporation) in 1955.

Okutama Shinkō is the company which Ome Electric Railway Co. established in 1928 by setting development of an area along the railroad line as the main purpose. The first bus line in Ome and Okutama area is between Futamatao Station (destination station of Ome Electric Railway of those days) and Hatonosu Station which was started operation by Okutama Jidōsha Co. in 1922. Ome Electric Railway purchased the Okutama Jidōsha in 1930, and it extended to Hikawa (Oku-Tama Station) in August of the same year. Although the railroad section of Ome Electric Railway was nationalized (present JR Ome Line) and the bus section operated by Ome Electric Railway succeedingly in April, 1944, all the bus enterprises of the Ome Electric Railway were transferred to the Okutama Shinkō, its subsidiary in April, 1946. Okutama Shinkō entered under the influence of Keio Teito Electric Railway in 1956.

In 1920, Ishikawa Jidōsha was replaced with the stagecoach which operated between Imaguma, Kawaguchi-mura (present Hachioji) - Hachioji (Hiraokachō) until then, and started operation of the bus of track reconstruction between Itsukaichi - Hachioji. It extended to Hachioji station in 1924, and the company name was changed into Goō Jidōsha Shōkai (it incorporated in 1947 and was re-change to Goō Jidōsha). It entered under the influence of Keio Teito Electric Railway in 1961.

The three companies which used as the influence of Keio Teito Electric Railway, moved to the joint head office of the Keio Line Higashi-Hachioji station (present Keio Hachioji station) next door in April, 1963 for merger preparation aiming at rationalization of bus operation, Okutama Shinkō merged other two companies on October 1, and Nishi Tokyo Bus launched. The symbol of a company is what designed the initial of Nishi Tokyo "NT" in the circle, and T imagined speediness and the feather of a bird, and it is published in the front of all the vehicles of a general route vehicle until it continues up to now. Since the number of routes increased rapidly by "bed-town"-izing of Hachioji and advance of educational facilities such as universities, and it became impossible to be unable to respond by at the existing office after the 1970s, Narahara Office was established newly in 1971 and Ongata Office is established newly in 1992.

Tama bus was split up by whole ownership and change of jurisdiction and commission of operation of an unprofitable route were started on April 1, 1999. Thereby, Ome Office was transferred to the Tama bus from 1999 to 2000, and Ongata Office from 2000 to 2005. On August 5, 2008, the official website of Nishi Tokyo Bus announced that it unified the bus division of Tama Bus and succeeded all the routes which Tama bus operated from the first bus on September 1 of the same year, in order to attain improvement in convenience and the increase in efficiency of business operation. Although Tama bus which business was transferred remains as a company, and will concentrate on enterprises, such as lease, management, etc. of land and a building, from now on.

On September 30, 2007, a smart card "PASMO" was introduced into the some area around Hachioji, and was introduced also into all the remaining areas on January 25, 2009.