Aiming to mitigate passenger congestion due to a surge in tourists, the city of Kyoto has proposed a price hike for a one-day pass for public and private bus services.

The proposal, which was made at a meeting of experts on Monday, looks to increase the price of the ¥500 pass to ¥600 from next March. The city will make a final decision in August.

With the boosted revenue expected from the hike, Kyoto plans to run more buses.

Many tourists buy the one-day ticket, which allows users to ride in most areas covered by the municipal and private bus operators in the city.

But local residents have complained because they sometimes can’t board buses that are packed with international travelers toting large amounts of luggage.

The city also proposed cutting the price of one-day passes for joint use of both buses and the subway to ¥900 from ¥1,200 to encourage more subway use.

KEYWORDS Kyoto, tourism, buses