Free rides for schoolkids

Osaka — Osaka subway celebrated its 80th year of service in May, and to celebrate, around 120,000 elementary schoolkids in the region were given free five-day passes. Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau wants to encourage more children to use the subway, and take advantage of the 50 percent discount kids their age get on the fares. Each year only around 0.8 percent of passengers are elementary schoolkids. While the bureau has been taking steps to improve its services,Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto has announced he already plans to privatise the subway by April 2015.

www.kotsu.city.osaka.lg.jp/foreign/english