大屋根がついた広島駅と広電路面電車の未来

A large roof has now been installed over Platform C, which previously lacked cover and was difficult to use during rainy weather. This time, I would like to share some new insights I gained after actually riding the streetcar from Hiroshima Station to the Hatchobori stop. It was just before noon on a weekday, yet it seemed to be bustling with tourists and school excursion groups. For those who have retired and wish to enjoy sightseeing at a leisurely pace, weekdays seem to be the better choice. Feedback from users indicates that they do not know how to use the service. At JR stations, there are ticket gates equipped with ticket slots or IC card readers, but streetcars do not have ticket gates at all.　I felt that the hurdles were surprisingly high for first-time users—for instance, wondering when payment takes place or how to use the IC card. On weekends, there are plenty of platform attendants (distinct from the train operations staff) whom you can easily ask for help, but there seem to be fewer of them on weekdays.