Earth-Car Launches Car Sharing Pilot Experiment in Front of Tsumagoi Station

Earth-Car Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shoji Endo; hereinafter "the company"), operator of the car sharing service 'EARTHCAR', has partnered with the Tsumagoi Tourism Association (Tsumagoi-machi, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture) to launch a pilot project for its car sharing business starting June 17, 2026. This pilot aims to address regional challenges such as "inconvenient transportation" and "lack of secondary transit options" in tourist destinations by installing and offering car sharing vehicles in front of the JR Ban'etsu West Line's Tsumagoi Station, thereby improving convenience for tourists and local residents. The Tsumagoi area is rich in year-round tourism attractions, including natural sights like Mount Bandai and Lake Inawashiro, ski resorts, hot springs, and various outdoor activities. Currently, Fukushima Prefecture is running the 'Fukushima 'Come Again.' Discount Campaign' for the entire year, offering discounted accommodation rates, creating a favorable opportunity for increased tourism demand in Tsumagoi Town. However, many attractions remain difficult to access via public transportation alone. For example, visitors often wish to freely access Lake Inawashiro for summer swimming, view winter spray ice formations, enjoy snowboarding and BBQ at Inawashiro Ski Resort, hike Mount Bandai, visit Tsuchi Shrine, or pick strawberries at roadside stations—all of which require flexible, on-demand mobility. Thus, improving intra-town transportation has become a pressing issue. The EARTHCAR service introduced by the Tsumagoi Tourism Association is an unmanned, self-service car sharing system that allows 24-hour reservations and usage via smartphone. The company provides a complete platform solution, including communication devices for remote locking/unlocking via smartphone app, a web-based reservation system, and a 24-hour call center. In locations like Tsumagoi Station, where traditional rental car outlets are absent, car sharing offers municipalities an effective way to quickly launch and operate secondary transportation services with minimal infrastructure—requiring only vehicles and parking spaces. The car sharing station has been set up in a parking lot opposite the tourism association, right in front of Tsumagoi Station. Many tourists currently arrive by train and use the association’s rental bicycles to tour the area. With the addition of 'Rail & Car Share,' travelers now have more mobility options. The 24/7 availability of the car sharing service allows tourists to fully enjoy sightseeing from the first train to the last, unlike fixed-route buses that limit travel time. The freedom to design personalized travel itineraries is a key advantage of car sharing. Additionally, thanks to the station’s prime location near the station, the service is expected to serve not only tourists but also business travelers and local residents for daily errands. The car sharing vehicles deployed are the Suzuki Hustler 4WD model, chosen for its ease of driving and strong performance on snowy roads. During winter, the vehicles will be equipped with studless tires as standard. As rising operational costs lead to the review and reduction of public transportation networks in rural areas, unmanned, low-cost car sharing services are gaining attention from local governments. Through this pilot project, the company aims to establish a new mobility infrastructure model for rural tourist destinations and contribute to the development of sustainable tourism communities. ■ Car Sharing Vehicle Details Station Name Tsumagoi Station Front Station Location 5-10 Chiyodaohata, Tsumagoi-machi, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture (in front of Tsumagoi Tourism Association) Vehicle Type Suzuki Hustler Usage Fees Hourly Rate: Weekday Daily Rate… ¥4,000; Weekend and Holiday Daily Rate… ¥5,000 ※ Half-day usage is available at half price ※ Prices as of June 17, 2026. Subject to change without notice Distance Fee: ¥220 per 10km (first 10km free) No membership or monthly fees Reservation URL https://carshare.earth-car.com/carshare/vehicle-detail/431000791 Inquiries EARTHCAR Customer Support Toll-free: 0800-555-1960 (24-hour service) ■ About Earth-Car Founded in 2009 as the operator of the 'EARTHCAR' car sharing service, Earth-Car launched 'Tokupii (Special P)', a parking space sharing service, in 2017 to address the major challenge of securing parking for car sharing operations. The company now operates two sharing services in the mobility sector. In 2019, it fully renewed its car sharing service and developed a B2B platform to support a wide range of businesses, from large corporations to SMEs. Together with Tokupii, it has built a B2B2C sharing business model connecting service providers and users. As part of the IS Holdings Group, which actively promotes diversification into IT development, finance, FX, domestic and international real estate, renewable energy, resort development, and M&A, Earth-Car handles all planning and development of sharing systems in-house. EARTHCAR Car Sharing Service https://carshare.earth-car.com/ Parking Space Sharing Service 'Tokupii' https://toku-p.earth-car.com/ Monthly Parking Sharing Service 'Tokupii Monthly' https://toku-p.earth-car.com/monthly-parking Company Name: Earth-Car Co., Ltd. Headquarters: Pacific Century Place Marunouchi, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Representative: Shoji Endo Capital: ¥100 million Established: December 24, 2009 Business Activities: - Car sharing business - Parking space sharing business - Development of sharing platform systems Major Shareholder: IS Holdings Corporation Website: https://corp.earth-car.com/