About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.
News - 2019
Bridgestone Announces PlusStop as Name for Barrier-less Bus Stop Curb System
2019/10/25
Tokyo (October 25, 2019) -- Bridgestone Corporation today announced that the name for its barrier-less bus stop curb system has been decided as PlusStop. This system, which is designed to minimize the gap between bus boarding entrances and a curb, was researched and developed through a joint project with Yokohama National University (Professor Fumihiko Nakamura of the Transportation and Urban Engineering Lab), the Japan Transportation Planning Association, and ADVANCE Co., Ltd.
The name PlusStop was selected to represent the extra value the system adds to a traditional bus stop. Bridgestone intends to promote the system through this easy-to-understand name in an effort to increase awareness of its benefits and expand its adoption to new locations across Japan.
PlusStop employs a specialized curb shape to guide tires and allow a bus to more closely approach the curb. This improves docking with a bus stop and removes barriers to access and creates smootehr and safer boarding and deboarding by all people, including senior citizens, individuals using wheelchairs or pushing strollers, and those with limited mobility.
As urbanization, population aging, and environmental awareness makes public transportation in Japan more prevalent and more serious, access to bus travel is becoming increasingly important. PlusStop was designed in response to these increasing demands and long-standing barriers. The system also positively contributes to the efficiency of bus transportation by facilitating smooth boarding and deboarding.
The new barrier-less docking system was first introduced in Okayama, Japan in June 2019 and has since been adopted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Moving forward, Bridgestone will continue to emphasize similar contributions to the "Mobility" and "People" priority areas of its "Our Way to Serve" global CSR commitment. The company is committed to delivering advanced technologies and solutions that improve the way people move, live, work and play. PlusStop is one of the many ways Bridgestone is using its innovation and expertise to help create a more inclusive and accessible society for people of all abilities.
