Establishment of Standard Specification of Accessible Bus Vehicles and Taxi Vehicles in Japan

Although the enactment of the Transportation Accessibility Improvement Law (TAIL) in 2000, which provided for the systematic improvement in transportation accessibility, the current status is that low-floor buses are diffusing slowly due to their high costs, and there are no barrier-free regulations imposed on taxies. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) has organized a committee for establishing standard specifications and promoting their implementation. This paper describes the standard specifications established.