"Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS" 7th Project: 4 Railway Companies and "CrowdCare" Co-create Towards Realizing a Society Where No One Gives Up on Mobility

The "Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS," formed by four railway companies (JR East Startup, Tokyu, Odakyu, and Seibu Holdings), has partnered with "CrowdCare" to launch a demonstration experiment in the Hakone area starting April 2026. This initiative aims to provide seamless, end-to-end travel support by integrating railway infrastructure with professional out-of-pocket caregiving services, helping people with disabilities or aging-related needs travel with peace of mind.
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  • 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 23:00
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●JR East Startup Co., Ltd., Tokyu Corporation, Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd., and Seibu Holdings Inc., comprising the "Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS" (hereinafter "JTOS"), will launch a demonstration experiment in the Hakone area starting in April 2026 as their seventh co-creation project, in collaboration with CrowdCare Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "CrowdCare"), which operates a sharing economy-type out-of-pocket home care service.

●By integrating the public transportation and accommodation infrastructure owned by the four railway companies with CrowdCare's specialized out-of-pocket caregiving skills, we will provide end-to-end support from home to destination, offering a seamless travel experience that goes beyond traditional facility-based (point) improvements.

●Toward the realization of a "society where no one gives up on mobility," where everyone can freely enjoy traveling regardless of age or the presence of disabilities, we will take on the challenge of demonstrating outing support that comprehensively underpins everything from railway travel to staying at the destination. By having caregiving professionals accompany the entire trip—including transportation, sightseeing, and accommodation—we aim to eliminate the psychological and physical hurdles that have previously caused hesitation in traveling, working to build a new tourism model where everyone can enjoy outings and travel with peace of mind.

1. Background and Context: Eliminating the "Psychological and Physical Hurdles" of Mobility

In Japan, which has entered a super-aging society, the number of people who require assistance for daily life and travel is increasing year by year. However, when it comes to travel, there are many cases where people hesitate to take a trip due to "lack of barrier-free information" or "anxiety about assistance during movement." CrowdCare's user surveys also receive many earnest voices such as, "Even if I need nursing care, I want to go to a hot spring with my family," and "I want to go on a trip one more time," and realizing the wishes of these individuals has become a major goal for the company as well.

As eliminating "psychological and physical hurdles" is also an important issue in railway usage, we will collaborate with CrowdCare, which has over 1,800 self-funded caregivers, in pursuit of "door-to-door" support that stays close to the entire itinerary of individual passengers, alongside hardware improvements such as stations, vehicles, and accommodation facilities.

As a concrete field utilizing both "mobility (railways, buses, etc.)" and "stay locations (accommodations such as hotels, tourist facilities)" assets owned by JTOS, we have selected "Hakone," which is easily accessible from the city center, has transportation services and accommodations operated by each company, and has a regional foundation for accepting universal tourism. We aim for the social implementation of a mechanism that seamlessly supports everything from transportation to sightseeing and accommodation. For CrowdCare as well, collaborating with transportation and accommodation facilities to provide full travel support is a first-time endeavor.

2. Overview of the Demonstration Experiment: Verifying "Peace of Mind in Travel" in Hakone

In this demonstration experiment, people requiring care and their families will actually experience a trip to Hakone to verify the elimination of users' psychological and physical hurdles, the optimization of operations on the receiving end, the improvement of convenience, and the validity as a sustainable business model.

  • Implementation Period: Around April to May 2026 (Planned)

  • Area: Hakone area (Utilizing The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko, etc.)

  • Regarding the Recruitment of Participants (General Public Offering)

    Those wishing to participate in this demonstration experiment can apply through the following procedure.

    1. Member Registration: Please complete member registration (free of charge) to use a helper via CrowdCare's official website.

      https://www.crowdcare.jp/register/ (Official Website)

    2. Contacting the CrowdCare Secretariat for Application: After registration is complete, please contact the CrowdCare Secretariat by phone or message function with your desire to participate in this demonstration experiment. The CrowdCare Secretariat will confirm your preferred dates, the status of necessary assistance, the purpose of your trip, etc.
      *In the event of many applications, selection will be made taking into consideration the verification details (level of assistance needed, etc.).

  • Image of End-to-End Support (Movement Flow)

    • A specialized helper will accompany you from your home, connecting each company's infrastructure to curate your trip.

    • [Home] ⇌ [Odoriko Express, etc.] ⇌ [Odawara Station] ⇌ [Shuttle Bus / Chartered Taxi] ⇌ [The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko] ⇌ [Around Moto-Hakone / Lake Ashi]

  • Specific Verification Items

    1. Reducing the Psychological Burden on Users: Analyze to what extent the "psychological and physical hurdles" toward mobility and accommodation assistance are resolved, allowing users to safely enjoy their trip, when specialized helpers support the entire itinerary.

    2. Co-creation of Hospitality with the Facilities and Institutions Welcoming Guests: By having specialized helpers collaborate with the staff of transportation and accommodation facilities, we will verify an environment where on-site staff can maximize their respective specialized areas of hospitality tailored to each individual customer. Through co-creation between professionals, we will build a system where the facility side can welcome customers warmly with greater confidence and peace of mind.

    3. Verification of a Sustainable Business Model: While helper accompaniment costs arise in addition to travel expenses, we will investigate an appropriate price range that users find valuable and are willing to continuously pay, and verify a sustainable model for future commercialization.

3. Giving Back Railway Employee Skills: Aiming for Diverse Work Styles and Improved Hospitality Skills

As a new endeavor in this demonstration experiment, we will verify a system where railway employees of the JR East Group, who possess high hospitality cultivated through their railway operations, register as CrowdCare helpers and partially participate in the assistance operations of this project.

  • Aim: By having employees who have acquired skills in the caregiving field return that experience to their main business of railway operations, we aim to raise the overall level of hospitality along the railway lines.

  • Scope of Implementation: As a demonstration phase, we anticipate mobility support from the home to the nearest station and assistance on specific sightseeing routes. Anticipating future labor shortages, we will explore a new career model of "multi-functionalizing" the human resources supporting infrastructure.

[Reference]: https://jrestartup.co.jp/news/2025/06/133984/

4. About CrowdCare Co., Ltd.

With the mission of "Making many people happy through care," CrowdCare has developed and operated "Crowd Care" since its founding in 2016, providing self-funded home care, housework, and life support services that match the caregiving needs that cannot be covered by the long-term care insurance system with helpers. They are a pioneer in skill-sharing format care services outside of long-term care insurance.

Company Name: CrowdCare Co., Ltd.

Location: Tokyo Head Office: 9th Floor, COERU Shibuya Dogenzaka, 1-19-14 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

　　　 : Osaka Office: 1st Floor, Breeze Tower, 2-4-9 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture 530-0001

Representative: Junichi Kojima, Representative Director and CEO

Established: August 2016

Business Description: Development and operation of "Crowd Care," a matching platform for self-funded home care, self-funded home rehabilitation, housework, and daily life support, and planning and operation of "Care Musubi," specialized media for nursing care.

URL: https://www.crowdcare.jp/

5. About the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium "JTOS"

"JTOS" is a cross-railway social implementation consortium launched in September 2023 by the four companies listed in the <Participating Companies Overview> below. To overcome the various barriers surrounding social implementation faced by startup companies, we will provide a vast demonstration experiment field that combines the management resources of each company, such as stations, railways, and real estate, with the information resources of group businesses, creating the future "normal" alongside startup companies. This initiative is part of co-creation in the "WELL-BEING" domain, one of the four themes advocated by JTOS.

URL: https://jtos.jp/

<Participating Companies Overview>

Company Name: JR East Startup Co., Ltd.

Location: TokyoYard Building 7F, 2-21-42 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Yutaka Shibata, President and Representative Director

Established: February 2018

Business Description: Investigation and discovery of business seeds and advanced technologies, investment in venture companies, and promotion of collaboration with the JR East Group.

URL: https://jrestartup.co.jp/

Company Name: Tokyu Corporation

Location: 5-6 Nanpeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Masahiro Horie, President and Representative Director

Established: September 2, 1922

Business Description: Real estate business, real estate sales business, other businesses

URL: https://www.tokyu.co.jp/index.html

Company Name: Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.

Location: 2-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo / 2-2 Megumi-cho, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture ViNA GARDENS OFFICE

Representative: Shigeru Suzuki, President and Representative Director

Established: June 1, 1948 (Predecessor Odawara Express Railway was established on May 1, 1923)

Business Description: Railway business, real estate business, other businesses

URL: https://www.odakyu.jp/

Company Name: Seibu Holdings Inc.

Location: 1-16-15 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Ryuichiro Nishiyama, President, Representative Director and COO

Established: February 3, 2006

Business Description: Wide range of businesses centered on three areas: "Real Estate Business," "Hotel and Leisure Business," and "Urban Transportation and Regional Business," as well as sports businesses.

URL: https://www.seibuholdings.co.jp/

<Past Presentation Materials>

September 21, 2023

Launch of "JTOS," a Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium tackling social issues that four railway companies cannot solve alone, together with startups.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2023/09/11/

As the first project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with Biome Inc., a nature conservation startup aiming to realize a nature-positive society.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2023/09/36/

October 12, 2023

As the second project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with Luup, Inc., aiming for a society where everyone can move safely and conveniently.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2023/10/39/

February 26, 2024

As the third project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with grow&partners Inc., aiming for well-being in child-rearing.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2024/02/99/

June 3, 2024

As the fourth project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with HelloWorld Inc., aiming to realize diverse and vibrant areas along the railway lines.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2024/06/106/

January 22, 2025

As the fifth project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with NearMe Inc., toward realizing a society where as many people as possible can move freely.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2025/01/111/

February 27, 2026

As the sixth project of the Cross-Railway Social Implementation Consortium JTOS, co-creation with IVRy Inc. to solve issues related to inquiry handling at commercial facilities.

(Details) https://jtos.jp/uncategorized/2026/02/208/

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