Japan’s transport sector, hit by the sudden drop in passenger traffic caused by measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, is coming up with novel ways to scrape in revenue using excess capacity.
ANA Holdings Inc., the nation’s largest carrier, is using seats in cabins in addition to cargo space to haul cardboard boxes filled with masks and other protective equipment to places that need supplies. Nihon Kotsu Co., Tokyo’s biggest taxi company, is using its cabs and drivers to deliver ¥32,000 steaks from Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, the local outpost of the New York restaurant.
Japan has so far avoided the induced economic coma seen in other major economies, with many local restaurants remaining open for business even as people are encouraged to stay at home. But people are traveling less, with fewer taxis on the streets and thousands of domestic and international flights canceled, which is starving transport providers of income.