WILLER EXPRESS has officially launched an initiative allowing passengers to cancel services free of charge, even when they are designated as conditional operations, in anticipation of severe weather such as typhoons and heavy snow.
Introduced in January this year, the initiative applies to services classified as “conditional operations” on the company’s WiLL reservation system. These are services that are currently scheduled to operate but may be suspended depending on future weather and road conditions. Passengers may cancel free of charge and receive a full refund even before a service suspension is confirmed. If a refund by bank transfer incurs a transfer fee, the passenger is responsible for that fee.
Decisions to suspend services during severe weather may sometimes be made shortly before departure, as they depend on assessments of weather and road conditions. However, passengers may need to decide whether to change accommodation, event, or other plans before a suspension is confirmed. The initiative improves convenience by enabling passengers to make such decisions earlier.
Since beginning operation of the system, the company has applied it not only in cases of severe weather whose impact can be anticipated in advance, such as typhoons, but also when weather conditions suddenly worsen due to localized heavy rain. Most recently, it was used during the heavy rain in Nagoya on September 8 and the heavy rain in Chiba Prefecture on August 13.
Even when buses themselves are able to operate, passengers may be unable to reach their boarding point because other public transportation, including railways and local buses, has been suspended or delayed. In addition to weather conditions, the company considers surrounding transport conditions and passengers’ travel routes. When travel as planned is deemed difficult, passengers can use the system as an option to cancel their reservations without waiting for a service suspension to be confirmed.
