How to Ride the Bus in Utsunomiya

Really this should be titled “How to Ride One Type of Bus in Utsunomiya”. Because there are other companies that operate buses and they might have different processes. But the one that I am about to describe seems common in the Utsunomiya area at least.

When you arrive to Utsunomiya Station you can choose to exit East or West. There are bus stops at both sides.

Depending on where you want to go, determines which stop you choose…
Inside the station you can find a time table that shows bus destinations, bus stop numbers, and times the buses depart.

Once you find out which bus stop you need, go to that stop.

Wait there for your bus. Then step in the door near the driver. As soon as you step in, make sure to grab a ticket with a number on it

The number on the ticket corresponds to the board in the front of the bus. Pay attention to the square on the board with your number in it. The further you go from your stop, the more the fare will increase in your corresponding square.

So you can see that at this moment, if I were to get off the bus, I would owe ￥170. And as the bus passes each stop, that price increases. When you want to get off just push one of the million buttons all over the bus.