I've got an email newsletter! It goes out every Monday, same time as the weekly video here, and links to a load of interesting things I've found on the internet over the past week. You can sign up here: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/

@h.f6364

Жыл бұрын

Father

@santy8017

Жыл бұрын

This might just be what I need to bus

@GenaF

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking the Stourbridge Shuttle did exactly the same as this on the video, as in going on the road and the rails. So if anyone wants a job on the rails...

@I_Love_Learning

Жыл бұрын

Can confirm that is goes out the same time. I got pinged for the email, and saw this mere minutes later.

@Craig-wp3pz

Жыл бұрын

One of the few Emails in my inbox that actually gets opened and read...... 📧 👀 🥳

Gives ‘rail replacment bus service’ a new meaning

@JohnR31415

Жыл бұрын

And the bus replacement rail service that Tom featured some years ago

@DJTrainBrain

Жыл бұрын

Especially since it doesn't even replace the rails :D

@matthewwatt2295

Жыл бұрын

​@@JohnR31415 A bus replacement rail replacement bus, then? 😂

@lonestarr1490

Жыл бұрын

@@matthewwatt2295 Actually, it's a bus replacement rail replacement bus-train.

@heliofaros1344

Жыл бұрын

Truss bain...tuss brain 😊

That song it plays when it transforms is adorable and I bet as the driver you'd get sick of it real quick.

@1pcfred

Жыл бұрын

If you knew you were getting paid it'd be OK.

@mandowarrior123

Жыл бұрын

I bet it plays in your head each time you get in your car.

@Alex-cw3rz

Жыл бұрын

Having it's own theme song like it's a transformer going into battle.

@Banom7a

Жыл бұрын

Japanese are used to annoying jingle lmao *flashback of me going to buy fish in japanese supermarket*

@TerribleUsernameAmirite

Жыл бұрын

@@Banom7a so true. All the supermarkets too, just the same half dozen jingles over and over and over

The effort that Tom Scott does for a 5 minute video is amazing. He went to Japan and interviewed the Chief of General Affairs of the Asa Coast Railway and added a bunch of extra camera shots and drone shots plus added subtitles and 2 extra audio tracks (dubbed and audio description). Other people would have just turned on their camera and filmed some of this in a less interesting way without drone shots or an interview and somehow still end up dragging it out for over 15 minutes, let alone doing effort to add subtitles (instead using automatically generated subtitles), let alone adding audio tracks, which I've never seen on ANY other video.

@NaudVanDalen

Жыл бұрын

@@JakeGutteridge Finally they added some good features instead of just taking them away.

@JHaven-lg7lj

Жыл бұрын

He does do a great job with the visuals and research, doesn’t he? And the methods his team uses for subtitling are great - different colors for different people, and now enabling the new audio features. Always a thumbs-up from me

@farhanatashiga3721

Жыл бұрын

I mean considering how famous he and his videos has become over the 10+ years he's been doing this I don't think it's that difficult anymore for him to set up interviews with company and governmental officials anymore

@aarononeil9832

Жыл бұрын

Tom's probably one of the peaks on KZread for professionalism, dedication, transparency and integrity, I never expect anything less than this level of effort from him

@ralisgroffen

Жыл бұрын

i think every Mr Beast video has them

I just noticed the option for the "English Dubbed" audio track which dubs the translated parts. Definitely appreciated because I often am doing other stuff while watching the video and would otherwise have to read the translation. There's also an "English Descriptive" audio track option for those with impaired vision.

@Achilles3666

Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you pointed this out! I actually delayed watching this video because I couldn't give the screen my full attention for the subtitles. The dub is so helpful!

@NeoRichardBlake

Жыл бұрын

I was today years old when I learned this is even a thing on KZread. I had no idea some videos can have different audio tracks. Thanks for the education! 😁 👍 Edit: Looks like this is a new feature. Guess I'm not clueless after all. 😋

@DiverseGreen-Anon

Жыл бұрын

I also just noticed that and read the video description. Interesting stuff

@tekbox7909

Жыл бұрын

Thx for pointing it out more people need to learn about it being a part of his videos since you don't usually look for that feature, especially since I didn't even know it existed

@Jehty_

Жыл бұрын

Wait what? Since when does KZread has that function? I love it 👍

“To attract the kind of tourists who want to ride on a road/rail vehicle.” Then we see Tom’s huge smile. “It’s me. I’m that tourist.”

@qwertyTRiG

Жыл бұрын

Now we need to send The Tim Traveller, Geoff Marshall, Jago Hazzard, and Reese M. there.

Жыл бұрын

And, seemingly, the only one there.

@jt92

Жыл бұрын

Also Sheldon

@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721

Жыл бұрын

Just look how happy he was at the moment the vehicle switched modes. He's the target audience.

@rollin340

Жыл бұрын

It's always nice to see him being genuinely interested and excited about what he does.

This would make a good question for Tom’s Lateral podcast. “Which Japanese train line has hundreds of derailments per year?”

@Leo0718

Жыл бұрын

Yet it is kept in operation unchanged?

@AaronOfMpls

Жыл бұрын

🤣 Yah, this _would_ be a good one! (Especially if his guests haven't watched the video, or have had enough time to largely forget it.)

@Case16710

Жыл бұрын

@@Leo0718 another clue could be, “it has a perfect safety record”.

@seraphina985

Жыл бұрын

@@Case16710 I might add that in the question just because the incongruency of that would be fun. If you don't know the answer these two things seem like they should not be referring to the same thing.

@Case16710

Жыл бұрын

@@seraphina985 good point!

Can I just say, the representative you interviewed from Asa Coast Railway, major thumbs up for knowing how to do his job! He spoke clearly and slowly, and added in appropriate hand gestures, making it easy for non-native Japanese speakers/learners to understand. That's how you do PR & Marketing! Something for me to aspire to when the roles are reversed and I'm speaking English to Japanese colleagues etc etc.

@joniii_

Жыл бұрын

He was fantastic. I'm someone who's no means fluent in Japanese but I can get by. The way he made himself understandable was outstanding.

I love how absolutely everything has a jingle in Japan

@automation7295

Жыл бұрын

Japan allowed jingles on everything but doesn't allow any phones and digital cameras have a shutter sound when taking a photo.

@Indrakrn

Жыл бұрын

Because the country is a whole circus after getting bombed

2:20 The "train mode activate" soundtrack is my favorite part of the whole thing. Totally unnecessary, but the designers thought "might as well make this 15 second process more fun for the passengers!"

@Icedrake201

Жыл бұрын

"Metamorphisis completed sir! Bus train has now become... *drums* train bus!"

@DrZaius3141

Жыл бұрын

I mean, if this is your daily commute, it'll get really old really fast.

@Peter_S_

Жыл бұрын

It is very Japanese. Kawai or the quantifiable level of 'cuteness' is part of judging things in the Japanese culture. Hello Kitty is an example of Kawai colliding with capitalism.

@Alex-cw3rz

Жыл бұрын

Having it's own theme song makes it feel like it's a transformer going into battle.

@Necris94

Жыл бұрын

Modo chengi - STARTO!

Tom's never going to stop finding more Gadgetbahns, is he?

@Bob-nc5hz

Жыл бұрын

Given how many tim and reece have gone through, he's got quite the backlog.

@RHTeebs

Жыл бұрын

Is it a gadgetbahn? I thought that was a train that was on tracks, but runs on rubber tires.

@SeeLasSee

Жыл бұрын

He might if people don’t keep giving new concepts a chance.

@OmiGundam777

Жыл бұрын

This isn't really a Gadgetbahn (to me, at least). It's meant to preserve the rail line, not revolutionize transit.

@nevango0690

Жыл бұрын

​@@RHTeebs a gadgetbahn can be any silly and needlessly overcomplicated transport method, rubber tyred trains are just one example

I have been learning Japanese for over two years now, and explanations like this are the perfect listening comprehensions, formal, clearly spoken, subtitles for checking again, perfect. Thanks Tom, good video as always

@animeartist888

Жыл бұрын

Yea, as a fairly new learner of Japanese, I could still pick out the verb and subject of each sentence easily even when I didn't know the vocab for the words themselves. Usually native speakers go too fast for me, and I get lost because I missed a particle somewhere. I really like the interviewee and his way of speaking slowly and clearly. Not many people of any nationality do that.

@Thermospore

Жыл бұрын

@@animeartist888 keep it up! before you know it you won't even notice verbs and subjects and particles, it will just sound like meaning!

The japanese rep had a really great energy, I'm sure he does these presentations all the time, just loved his use of gestures and the way he talked

The guy you're interviewing is incredibly good. He speaks Japanese slowly in a way that is easily understandable.

@valeriek8537

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. I’m studying, still N5, and he’s great to listen to.

@dirtfriend

Жыл бұрын

yes!! though he lost me when he started talking about pulse sensors and whatchamacallits

@jettnash5217

Жыл бұрын

I was literally thinking the same, he's super clear has great oral cadence and clearly makes every sound for each and every word

@bastersturm

Жыл бұрын

maybe he is or was an announcer for stops and stations

@enterchannelname8981

Жыл бұрын

And his hand gestures are on point!

I love how Tom always manages to show something that I would never hear and probably not care about, yet presents it in a way that makes it interesting

@Snookbone

Жыл бұрын

Well done on Liking The Thing

@blu0065

Жыл бұрын

Tbh, I'm kind of for gadgetbahns that save rails so that the rails can be used if the population ever increases or if demand ever increases

@laurencefraser

Жыл бұрын

@@blu0065 arguably, simply by opperating on existing standard rails, a significant percentage of the things that make a gadgetbahn what it is are eliminated. (of course, that doesn't automatically make it NOT a gadgetbahn, but it does put it lower down the scale by quite a bit. Usually.)

@DajJednego

Жыл бұрын

Funny how the English-speaking Japanese KZreadrs never got to this thing before Tom.

Tom buying a plushie of the freaking bus is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time 😄

@bertilhatt

Жыл бұрын

Using KZread money, so in a way, you bough a little bit of that plushie.

@SportyMabamba

Жыл бұрын

@@bertilhatt the real treasure are the plushies we met along the way

@KusaneHexaku

Жыл бұрын

i love plushies i want one,,

2:07 - I love that they seemingly allocated a viewing area for all of the rail nerds! 😂

I've never seen anyone so happy to be in the DMV before.

@scottanno8861

Жыл бұрын

I confess my sins at the DMV.

@TesserId

Жыл бұрын

He happened to get there when there weren't any lines.

@_implying

Жыл бұрын

@@TesserId not scientifically possible

@Dusterisp

Жыл бұрын

Respite was brief, and then there were lines again like with all DMVs

@LJCyrus1

Жыл бұрын

If you had to take this DMV to get to the DMV it might be more fun.

Fun fact about the DMV: The vehicle was originally prototyped and tested by JR Hokkaido, the privatized national rail corporation that operates in Japan's northern most prefecture. The project was eventually scrapped as it was too impractical to use for regular service, and many thought it would end up as a failed invention that went nowhere. It was then quite the suprise when the Asa Kagan Railway said that they will be replacing their fleet with DMVs, the failed invention now had a practical use

@jickhertz4124

Жыл бұрын

Oh that explains how they got the design and budget to build the thing!

@theoperator288

Жыл бұрын

It failed more so because of the large amount of snow that the specific area of Hokkaido gets. The cost was greater than the practicality. I remember a news segment about them closing the rail station since the final high school student graduated from that village. There were talks of running a similar system in Gifu and Toyama prefectures, but ran into a similar problem where the weather would hinder it more.

@AlohaBiatch

Жыл бұрын

FYI JR Hokkaido is a privatized entity like the rest of japan’s ex national rail, however because it is highly unprofitable all its shares are still owned by the government. Unlike JR East, JR Central, JR West, and JR Kyushu, which are all privatized and make lots of profit from rail, real estate and other ventures. Those companies the government sold all their shares and you can freely buy them on the stock market.

@hannahranga

Жыл бұрын

@@jickhertz4124 they're not as nice but crew bus road rail vehicle for railworkers have existed for a while. This looks like they did the conversation on a nice bus instead of the normal povo spec vinyl floor and canvas seats version.

@type17

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahranga It looks like a Toyota Coaster with an addition for the rail-wheels. The resulting massive front overhang must take some getting used to when driving on the roads.

Finally a DMV I look forward to seeing! I love the little tune the DMV makes when it becomes a train. They didn't need to do the drumming, but it's the little things that truly count, and I'm glad they did. And the fact that it has a gift shop with plushes and rock candy too is just absolutely delightful. One thing not mentioned is that, it was also designed to help senior citizens move around. When in bus mode, it can do a lot of other stops around town to pick up passengers before heading to the tracks. This can make it a lot more convenient and more profitable, as it dramatically reduces peoples' need for cars. Once a person is in a car, they tend to just drive to their destination. But if a bus is right there and is easier and less stress, they'll often take it. So by making it convenient it to people to use, they dramatically increase the incentive and thus profitability. Nancy and Caen in France once had a concept which used Bombardier Guided Light Transit. They're buses that could not only operate independently as a bus, but were also capable of turning into trams. Meaning when they're a tram, they're powered by an overhead wire. But instead of riding on rails, they run on rubber tires. Because of the fact they don't need a guidance rail, calling them a tram is quite debatable (especially compared to the Translohr). Caen got rid of theirs in 2017 in favor of a legit tramway, while Nancy ended theirs this March in favor of bringing back their trolleybuses. Adelaide has something similar too called the O-Bahn which are legitimate buses that run on their own concrete tracks that opened back in 1986

So cool - plus (as someone learning Japanese) I appreciate that Ootani-San spoke slowly and clearly so I could understand him - or least get the meaning of what he was saying. I'm only up to two years of studying, but covered up the subtitles as a challenge to myself.

@Thermospore

Жыл бұрын

king

I've never been more jealous of a Tom Scott video. BRB, checking flights to Japan.

@yvxn360me

Жыл бұрын

I'm curious what Not Just Bikes thinks of such gimmicky infrastructure! Maybe fine in a declining coast town but this seems like a very specific case in justifying keeping aging rails 😂

@JoelMatton

Жыл бұрын

There's a whole cool Japanese transportation rabitthole you can go down, they have things like sleeper busses with private booths, trains with an entire vending machine car, high speed trains, trains with an office room you can rent to have a business meeting on the train etc etc. So much cool stuff.

@garfieldandfriends1

Жыл бұрын

I’ll love to see a Japan series of your videos.

@DouglasWatt

Жыл бұрын

Haha, I'd love to help you with that! Been living in Kanto area for 20 years! Wish I could have helped Tom out with his visit!

I love that Mr Naoyoshi makes his hand gestures so that his opposite can understand them (1:29). That's something I picked up when tutoring math students. It requires both a high degree of freedom of movement and a high level of conceptual abstraction - all inspired by a deep feeling of "the goal of my communication is your understanding and nothing else".

This is quite similar to the Adelaide O-Bahn in Australia which started operating in 1989, however this one uses existing tracks and the O-Bahn had new ones built exclusively for it. Also the O-Bahn drives directly onto the tracks and guide wheels pop out of the side to direct it as opposed to having train wheels.

@carlosrivera3260

Жыл бұрын

I see more differences than similarities between this and the Adelaided O-Bahn. What you're referring to is a guided busway.

@ActualCharky

Жыл бұрын

There's an "o-bahn" in Japan too- Yutorito

@Poisson4147

11 ай бұрын

The two systems address the same problem but are VERY different. The O-Bahn uses concrete guides rather than steel rails, and its use is limited to buses. Also it needed new, bespoke construction. Hybrids are designed to run on existing steel rails without special accommodations or new construction.

The way he explains everything and the hand motions, I love it

The delight on Tom's face at "Mode change, start!" is a whole mood.

@DugrozReports

Жыл бұрын

Transformers…. More than meets the eye…

So, basically, its reason for existing is that it's cool. As reasons go, that's a pretty good one.

@Kyrelel

Жыл бұрын

Its reason for existing, as explained in the video, is to keep the railway operational

@cloudkitt

Жыл бұрын

@@Kyrelel by being cool :P

@benja_mint

Жыл бұрын

If your train service is dying a slow death... you've already got existing track and stations, it might be cheaper to convert a couple of buses into DMVs like this rather than rip up the otherwise unused tracks but tracks are expensive to maintain, and in this case completely unnecessary, I do wonder how long this cool thing will exist

@joedingo7022

Жыл бұрын

@@benja_mint since the cost to maintain track is generally proportional to the tonnage that travels over it, this still had much lower track maintenance than a train track

@clray123

Жыл бұрын

Replace cool with mildly amusing.

The way the ASA Chief speaks, it's very relaxing listening to him describing the operation and backstory to the idea

i love how everything in japan comes with a theme song / tune. it is amazing, so charming

I love that Tom Scott and The Tim Traveler both came out with bus/train hybrid videos within a week of each other!

@brunoais

Жыл бұрын

And one is ending while the other is just getting started (although with 1 year already)

@GreRe9

Жыл бұрын

+

@craigbates178

Жыл бұрын

Tim is the new (next) Tom!

@thesteelrodent1796

Жыл бұрын

maybe we can get a Tim Tom collab one day

@kelvinc

Жыл бұрын

Revenge for Tim making a reaction ferry video 😈

That's a neat design. As you said, the main goal is novelty tourists, and that's a good way to view it. But I like that they also have plans for disaster response. And it's there to keep the railways afloat in the area so they don't lose a long-term investment due to (hopefully) shorter-term demographic shifts.

@LWoodGaming

Жыл бұрын

if this was the USA, they just rip off all the rail, and not think about long-term at all.

That jingle is the most Japanese thing ever. Love it.

CSX has a tone of pickup trucks like those in the US!

Really loving the DMV conversion tune--it's like the Transformers theme song with a decidedly more marching band feel.

@stephenbachmann1171

Жыл бұрын

It’s Awa Odori. Tokushima’s traditional dance. You can google it. It’s spectacular

@kkobayashi1

Жыл бұрын

I think it’s traditional dance festival music (awa odori).

I like their transparency about this absolutely being a gadgetbahn tbh, not many city governments are willing to admit that they’re A. Dumping money into a low key silly rail solution and B. Actually makes something fun and actually marketable out of it

@CaseNumber00

Жыл бұрын

Japan has a lot of gimmicky attractions and other stuff. The obvious one is many unique foods like Kit Kat chocolates and fast food stuffs.

@arekkrol9758

Жыл бұрын

i think it is quite smart way to save rail, otherwise the busses would just take road and the rail would be gone

@TheSultan1470

Жыл бұрын

Um... really fun, I guess

I feel like this could actually become very reasonable for an electric vehicle, since it'd be able to hook into an electrified rail and use that for power while possibly recharging batteries for road use. And if you managed to get it able to transition while still moving... this idea is really cool.

@MusikCassette

6 ай бұрын

the bus serving one of the tram lines while recharging.

can we just appreciate the smooth precision driving at 4:36

"I've just revolutionised public transport! :D " "Is it just a bus or a train?" "Yes... :("

@Ghiaman1334

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but also yes!

@elpollo2805

Жыл бұрын

It won't revolutionize public transit, but it's cool nonetheless.

@davidty2006

Жыл бұрын

Defenition of Railbus has been found.

@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721

Жыл бұрын

No, it's a bus AND a train!!

I used to drive a bus. I have no clue what driving a train feels like but I can imagine. This fascinates me beyond mere curiosity.

Wow, the English dubbed audio track is incredible, definitely keep making those in these kinds of videos

@ZKtheMAN

11 ай бұрын

Oh wow, I didn't even notice there were different audio tracks, what the heck

The drums and the transformation from bus to train instantly made me think Tom had just found himself in an episode of Thunderbirds.

@doubl2480

Жыл бұрын

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... DMVs are go!

I love how the bus goes: "MODE CHANGE, START!!" (mode change music blasting)

@Jayfive276

Жыл бұрын

I was half-expecting a Sailor Moon style transformation sequence.

Dam, I have never imagined the days Mr. Scott travels through Japan. These videos are a dream ride for me. I hope you're having a great time there. And also it's a season of cherry blossom you MUST see it before you leave.

Until last week, there was a similar system in Nancy, France. They used busses because trams can't go up steep hills. It closed last week, and now they're being replaced with regular busses

This is the most "Why not both?" moment I've ever seen, but I will never get over a train with a standard Toyota steering wheel on it.

2:50 - subtly demonstrating the "point and call" - a very common safety technique for Japanese train conductors and others working on the railway. You may have heard about it from other videos and articles.

@WanukeX

Жыл бұрын

It has had some adoption outside of Japan, GO Transit in Toronto, Canada also has used “Point and Call” since 2021.

@Kyrelel

Жыл бұрын

Not sure your timestamp is correct

@kenbrown2808

Жыл бұрын

I have heard of it. it makes sense, so it will never be adopted in the US.

@kakyoindonut3213

Жыл бұрын

I just seen the video demonstration of it now, it is very fascinating

@venividivelcrovideo

Жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 in fact, it is used in the us. You can see conductors point and call before opening the doors after they pull into the station in every NYC subway station. They point at zebra striped boards that indicate that the train has stopped at the correct location so that all cars will open onto the platform, not onto the track.

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen all month!

Japan is the most technologically advanced country in the world. I love Japan 🇯🇵❤️😊

The music that plays while the vehicle is 'transforming' is delightful, and exactly the kind of thing that would draw massive nerd tourists to this kind of thing. I love it so much (and also I want to explore that gift shop!)

@myladycasagrande863

Жыл бұрын

I kind of hope that they have plushies that play the jingle.

I thought this was going to be like the one in France that goes between what is essentially a trolleybus and a regular bus, but no, this is proper! I am impressed.

@xdn22

Жыл бұрын

same

@tfofurn

Жыл бұрын

The one Tim Traveler just covered?

@alfect

Жыл бұрын

I thought it would be like the Leigh guided busway, I am also impressed

0:32 Finally, a DMV that isn't slow!

DMV and cool in the same sentence, never thought I'd see the day.

As one of the people who submitted this idea to the video ideas form, it made me so happy to see this video appear on my feed! I love how happy Tom is riding the bus-train!

@timgb7882

Жыл бұрын

To think picking street view locations in Japan in Google maps (which was how I found out about this train) would play a very small part in a Tom Scott video is rather mind boggling.

@nilsdammfeld6011

Жыл бұрын

Oh i suggestet it, too! Really cool bua/Trainer that fits to his Videos really well.

I found this thing through a Wikipedia rabbit hole 2 days ago and had a bunch of questions that Wikipedia couldn’t answer…it feels like this video was made just for me

I love the little jingle they play when switching to train mode

We have one of these in Adelaide. It’s called the obahn. It’s a great speedy way to get to the northern suburbs. Sometimes cars end up on the tracks by accident despite the giant flashing signs saying not to enter. Hilarious

@yosi1989

Жыл бұрын

In Japan, there is only one line of the same kind, called Yutorito Line, which runs from _Ozone_ to _Obata Ryokuchi_ in Nagoya city.

@markwright3161

Жыл бұрын

I think that's a guided busway, not a dual mode vehicle. There are at least a couple of those in the UK too as well as throughout Europe, etc. The buses still fully run on their tyres (here the front axle is lifted off the ground) and don't have additional sets of steel wheels for adapting them to steel rails. Those buses will have small horizontal caster-like wheels connected to the steering linkage under the bus which run against the high kerbs the busways have to guide the bus without the driver steering. It means those bus lanes (what they're more in line with than a railway) can be made with much less material as they don't have to be wide enough for a human driver to weave safely. This is natural weaving as the vehicle moves on it's suspension, driver in seat, etc, nothing extreme but something that means the tyres won't perfectly follow the exact same path every time they go down a certain piece of road. The lanes can also then only have 'road surface' under the tyres and no need for anything in between as the guide wheels on the sides mean the bus will follow the exact same path every time it goes down that lane. Technically any vehicle with a wide enough track (side-to-side distance between the wheels on each axle) can still use those busways if the driver pays enough attention to keep the wheels on the strips of concrete the buses run on. Cars will only get stuck because they have a significantly narrower track than the busses they were built for, and the type of driver who doesn't pay enough attention to the signage that highlights they're not suitable for anything other than those buses won't be paying enough attention to the surface to keep their wheels on those 2 strips of concrete, so they'll run off them into the gap and get stuck, much like someone driving off the edge of a narrow single track road with a soft verge or a ditch close to the road. It isn't the same as turning onto railway tracks after driving onto a level crossing, although people have done that too. I think Tom mentioned that they could have replaced this railway with a guided busway, instead of modifying buses to run on the rails then training dual licence drivers to drive them, but it was more cost effective to not tear up the railway or preferable to keep the railway intact for historic reasons or similar, alongside the tourism appeal of such a setup of course.

I love the little jingle that plays as it transforms, that's so japan.

A trasforming bus-train that plays a happy tune?! Genius. I want one!

2:20 -- Why is everything in Japan so goddamn wholesome?

3:54 its been turned into a marketable plush

Next time you're back in Australia you should check out a similar thing in Adelaide with the O-Bahn Busway

@matthewsj

Жыл бұрын

My thoughts exactly.

@zyeborm

Жыл бұрын

That'd be the "guided busways" he spoke about

The genuine delight on Tom’s face made my day :)

What an eloquent speaker. His hand motions were on point

I love Tom's "Fair enough!" nod at 2:44

That end parking is very satisfying and I think Scott or his editor knows it

The amount of effort to translate for English speakers so that guests can speak in their most comfortable and/or only language is always appreciated.

0:29 Who thought Tom would walk backwards into that bollard?

Instead of separated bus lane, this is very creative which preserve the track and reduce cost

I love the translation. It keeps what he's saying concise, and making it sound a lot more natural for an English speaking audience.

Interesting, not because (as you rightly point out) for those of us who have worked on railways, hy-rail vehicles are commonplace. But typically those require a fair bit of inspection and a much longer process before being able to start traveling on the rail after driving on paved road. This is seamless and really neat. From a sustainability standpoint, it would make even more sense than ripping up an old railway and replacing with light rail or similar, and it's far more flexible from a scheduling standpoint. Would love to see this catch on elsewhere, even if only as a novelty, as I think in many places it could actually be much more practical than a replacement bus system.

@fltfathin

Жыл бұрын

it's even more logical than self-driving car tunnel or that freight robot train thingy. i think rail maintenance is easier than highway maintenance but idk the real numbers

@kireharvey6844

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking I’d probably be a good solution for a lot of American cities that want rail transit,it can give you the potential speed from rail being separated like it is but also can give you flexibility like with buses, maybe when a train is holding up the railway you just use it as a bus instead. Shifting the route around it. Needs more R&D but smarter people can make it work

I remember Chris and Pete talking about this in the abroad in Japan podcast, if I recall correctly Chris specifically said this was something Tom Scott would make a video about a couple years ago!

Another major benefit to this system over potential alternatives is that it preserves the rail line itself. Once a rail line has been torn up in favor of something else, that rail line is nearly impossible to get back.

Excellent feeling to see entrepreneurs also considering safety factors (disaster relief transportation on a tsunami prone region) while also contributing to the local tourism sector.

something about how excited tom looks at 2:20 is very heartwarming

The little announcement or change, music and transition death me smile. I needed that.

Hiro: This is a Best idea made in the History Kana: Huh Neat!

This could have been a collab with TheTimTraveller whose last video was on a very similar vehicle concept. =)

@Yorie1234

Жыл бұрын

Although this seems like the smarter way around than a bus with a rail in the midde, this doesn't have the same road wear problems.

@PurpleShift42

Жыл бұрын

I forgot that Tom's last video about the world's "oldest business" was in Japan and I almost expected him to also have rushed out to film some of the last runs of the Nancy TVR when I read the title, because I'd watched said video by The Tim Traveller ("Why Nancy Is Scrapping Its Magically Bonkers Monorail-Bus-Trams", for the curious)

I have been on something similar to this in Adelaide in Australia. I do remember it passing through some kind of very small tunnel to proceed to the track. The transfer took less than a few seconds. It progressed along a river almost like a series of bridges or the like. I understand it is still running.

I'll count myself as that tourist too. If I ever get the chance to visit Japan, this one is on my checklist

this is SO COOL! we need more of things like this! sure it's not going to be a specialist at either mode of travel but it just makes everything so much more simple

Gotta love human creativity when brains cooperate 😁

@jokervynehahaha5568

Жыл бұрын

Let us engage in Jolly Co-operation! 🌞

@PurpleDuneEfa

Жыл бұрын

quick, we need innovation, our business is dying. *Let's put a minibus on train tracks*

@nkt1

Жыл бұрын

Vehicles like these have been around for decades, they’ve just used a bus body on this example.

@cwg73160

Жыл бұрын

These types of vehicles already existed before your narrow view of the world came upon them.

Let's appreciate how clear the audio quality of collar mic is

Finally, a DMV that actually works

my new favorite transformer, not just because its cool, but because it plays an epic and completely unnecessary jungle theme when it transforms. Love it

That's charming and I would 100% buy a plush of the vehicle

Wow, I'm amazed by the buses that transform into trains in Japan! As a frequent traveler, I appreciate how innovative and convenient this transportation system is.

@SamSitar

Жыл бұрын

it also eliminates one transfer as well.

@Jehty_

Жыл бұрын

What about this system is innovative or convenient? Innovative: Road-rail vehicles have been in use for a long long time. And not even the public bus part is anything new. Germany did that already in the 1950s. Convenient: Nothing about this is convenient. As stated in the video the route could be done by a normal bus.

Check out the o-Bahn in Adelaide Australia. A bus that runs on concrete “rails”. No extra wheels required.

My hometown used to have something like this back in the 1940s I think. Fairfax, VA

It cracks me up the Tom travels like 72 hours around the world and then puts out a 6 minute video. Especially because Ytubes algorithm is based on watch time. I could watch an hour of every one of his videos but I really appreciate what he is doing too.

More public transport needs a theme tune 😂

the elegance this guy has speaking is mind blowing... he can def insult someone respectfully

I have seen this in a few videos but yours is the best explanation of why it is there. A practical solution but also a tourist attraction. And I really want a plush! Thanks Tom.

from someone who works in theme park transportation, this hits on two VERY niche special interests of mine. great video, Tom!

Japan is a place of wonder it amazes me how they strive to do things differently and always innovative while keeping traditions.

@Morpheus-pt3wq

Жыл бұрын

Well, they have very large population, living on few small islands. The rest of the world should take an example from them and start building cities vertically. Just don´t copy their work habits...

I rode it and it's such an amazing experience. The transition is so seamless

The person who transform the bus in to a trains are doing all those incredibly perfect understanding it clearly with those interesting facts.

2:14 I think the vehicles would be much more popular on rails and roads If people knew of the sound effects that play when switching modes. 😄

Ironically The Tim Traveler just did a video about a bus/tram combo recently as well!

2:20 haha, love the taiko drumming fanfare played through the PA on the bus as the train wheels are lowered.

It actually does make a lot of sense as a cost saving measure; if you’ve already got a rail line that sees no other traffic, it’s a lot cheaper to use that than to replace it with a busway