Chitanoriai Co., based in the town of Handa in the same prefecture, will use the FCHV-Bus to link Nagoya Railroad Co.'s Tokoname Station, located close to the airport on a man-made island, and Chita Handa Station through March 22.

Fuel-cell vehicles do not pollute the environment as they draw electricity for propulsion from the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen in their on-board tanks, with the reaction's sole by-product being water.

The two makers want to collect data concerning the durability and fuel economy of fuel-cell vehicles, which will be necessary to operate the vehicles on a full-fledged commercial basis in the future, by getting the bus firm to run the FCHV-Bus, the two said.

The bus' operation constitutes a part of the fuel-cell vehicle commercialization promotion project being pushed by the transport ministry, which is cooperating with the makers.

The makers will lease to the bus operator one of the FCHV-Buses used last year to transport visitors to the prefecture's 2005 World Exposition between pavilions.

The bus will make a round trip to link the two stations once a day.

The two are planning to expand the service area covered by fuel-cell buses by linking the airport with other nearby railway stations and by transporting airport users between airport facilities, they added.