East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has started trialing a fee-based rental service for baby carriages at Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shinjuku and Ueno stations in Tokyo.
It plans to conduct the service until Oct. 20 and monitor its use, aiming to turn the service into a business in future.
JR East has prepared a total of 21 strollers suitable for babies aged 0 to 3 at luggage storage locations at the stations, renting them out for 500 yen at a time.
Advance reservations can be made by phone up until 4 p.m. the day before, in principle. However, if there is an opening when an inquiry is made, it is possible to use the service right away.
The rental service allows users to use the baby buggies at commercial facilities and nearby parks as well as at the station. They can also can go to other stations by train while using them.
"We want to help families with small children travel comfortably," a JR East official said.
At Tokyo Station, luggage storage facilities open only on weekends and holidays, except for one inside the Marunouchi south exit.
For more information about business hours and locations, visit JR East Logistics Co.'s website (http://www.jrbutsuryu.jregroup.ne.jp/).
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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