Steam bus

Philippine agricultural officials can learn from their counterparts in China’s Guiyang City an innovative way to help local farmers sell their produce.

The city in Guizhou province uses a public bus to travel to rural areas and back, picking up farmers and their produce along the way and bringing them to the city’s markets. The bus bearing the number 252 was modified with shelves and leather rope to hold the farmers’ fruit and vegetable baskets, Xinhua reports.

The special bus service takes 40 minutes to reach the bus terminal in the city, with the farmers seated comfortably in the back during the trip.

Meanwhile, the Japanese have even more creative buses for passengers to enjoy.

The brainchild of 31-year-old Arisa Matsubara — an employee of Shinkibus Co. based in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture — he converted two unused buses into rolling relaxation facilities.

Matsubara hatched the concept during the Covid-19 pandemic when few people were taking buses as a precaution. He formed the company Rebirth in Osaka in 2021 and launched the first mobile sauna bus in February 2022.

Rebirth rented out the mobile wood-fired saunas dubbed Sabus to hot springs resorts, campsites, event venues and other places across the country. A second Sabus started operating in Kawasaki in the summer.

The Sabus exterior retains the appearance of a city bus while inside is a U-shaped sauna with seats in the back. Passengers can look out the large windows while getting steamed.

There is a switch for pouring water on heated stones, with the ticket box serving as a container for the water.

More and more Japanese are making reservations to ride the Sabus when it comes to their area. WJG @tribunephl_wjg