A shared bicycle service has been installed at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, based on a suggestion from our students.

The proposal of the Kakegawa Michiyo Seminar at the University of Faculty of Economics was encouraged, and a shared bicycle was set up at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum near our university.

In response to the proposal of the Kakegawa Seminar in April last year, our university signed a contract with Toyota Mobility Tokyo Co., Ltd. to introduce "HELLO CYCLING," a shared bicycle that can be used by local residents on campus. Since then, the seminar has calculated the amount of carbon dioxide emissions reduction from shared bicycles compared to bus use based on usage data provided by operators and advice from outside the university.

As a result, a total of 8,674 shared bicycles were used in the eight months from May to the end of December 2024, contributing to a reduction equivalent to approximately 1.86 tons of CO₂ compared to the use of buses between Hachioji Station and the university. In addition, a user survey conducted by the student research team revealed that "the price of shared bicycles is lower than that of bus fares" and "high convenience" leads to high use of shared bicycles.

Based on the results of these studies, the seminar, which visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in March this year, explained the convenience of shared bicycles as an environmentally friendly means of transportation and proposed the installation of shared bicycles in museums for decarbonization. After that, a shared bicycle was installed at the museum on Thursday, August 7.

Professor Kakegawa, the faculty member in charge, said, "The introduction of shared cycles at Soka University was also triggered by student research, but this time, the specific research results of utilization analysis and calculation of carbon dioxide emission reductions have encouraged the introduction by the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, and students have contributed to the efforts to realize a decarbonized society in the region."