Following the previous article Amazing Transportation Services in Japan for Ultimate Customer Satisfaction (1) this
article outlines train/underground services in Tokyo, Japan that impressed the
inspectorate members from the UK and France, the professionals in underground
train operations, in a recent TV programme.
There are also a few points added by the
author from commuting everyday by trains and from taking trains at weekends
that she finds useful.
Similarly for bus services, the key words
of the underground train services for maximum customer satisfaction are “Omotenashi
おもてなし” in Japanese, for comfort as well as speed and safety.
1. Accurate
information about “time” on platforms
These help people to make a move with
minimum time, which can be paraphrased as providing speedy services.
1) Detailed
timetable
The inspectorate member from the UK immediately
pointed out something quite different from the ones in his home country. He said the timetables in the UK indicate the
time of the first and the last train of the day, and others are simply stated “every
10 minutes” for example.
In the case of Japan, all information is
clearly indicated, just like the timetables of buses. One reason for this is that there are more
trains in rush hours than other time of the day. The inspectorate members found this very easy
to understand and customer-centric.
2) Estimated
time to arrive and which car is the “best”
There are two things that the author finds
it helpful though it was not mentioned by the inspectorate members.
One is that there are usually a poster on
many platforms which has station names and how many minutes it is estimated to arrive
at each station. This is good in Japan
when people are always on the move with tight schedule.
Another is the poster with list of station
names, chart of train cars indicating which cars are nearest to exit/lift for
which station. This is extremely useful
to minimize time to get out of the station or change trains, especially when
there are as many as 10 cars or more for a train in Japan to accommodate as
many passengers in a train far more cars than the trains in other countries.
2. Multi-functional
electronic video display in train cars
In each car of trains just above the doors,
there are electronic video displays that provide variety of information,
accompanying the train announcements, one after another.
1) Information
about the next station
Usually the video first shows all the names
of the station in that line with number of minutes required to get to each
station for some line like JR (Japan Railway) Loop Line in Tokyo, the name of
the next station (usually in Japanese then English) then which trains to change
there if any, then which door will be open when the train arrives at the next
station (this door or door on the opposite side).
Also, should there be any delays even by a
few minutes for some reason, it is displayed accompanying the train
announcements.
2) Information
about other lines
In addition, some displays also provide
information such as which other line(s) is/are delayed for what reason. This is very useful when people take multiple
trains to get to the destination and the delayed train is one of the trains
they need to take – they can immediately plan what alternate route to take.
3. Initiatives
for ultimate safety of the passengers
These might be a little “too much” from
western standard but relevant in Japan.
1) Thorough
inspection of tunnels
Decrepit tunnels may result in concrete
waste falling down, leading to disastrous accidents. Thus, they would conduct thorough inspection
of tunnels taking as long as 1 year each, and do maintenance as appropriate.
2) Thorough
checking of loose bolts
They would check each bolt by hitting it by
a hammer and the sound it makes one by one.
This used to be done also in the west but not anymore because with today’s
technology bolts rarely get loosened.
So, the inspectorate members were astonished and asked why. The answer was “we want to be 100% perfect
for 100% safety for our passengers.”
3) Continuous
training
Trains not in service are used for training
drivers. Training menu includes hiding
eyes of the trainee and drive at a specified speed, and stopping the train at
the specified place at the platform with 100% preciseness.
4. Last
but not least – for ultimate hospitality
These might be very Japanese, ofおもてなし hospitality sprit.
1) For
comfortable ride
The inspectorate members first could not
understand why they would shave the metal wheels because that is never done in
their countries, but understood and was impressed. When this was complete, they were fascinated
at the “beauty” of the wheels as if they are brand new.
The true reason of this is to minimize the
risk of making the ride bumpy – the Japanese train staff explained that should
they leave the wheels with slight scratches, the scratches may get worse and
make the ride bumpy. This means they
would not be providing comfortable rides to passengers.
2) To
be connected online underground
Similarly to free wi-fi- services on
Shinkansen Bullet Trains between Tokyo and Osaka, free wi-fi services are
provided in platforms of key stations of underground trains.
