The Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) was at the forefront of ITS in Japan. It began operations in Spring 1994 and by January 1998 was covering 4 city areas: Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka and Kyoto, with a 5th city area being added in Spring 1998. The system provided drivers with upcoming road conditions and alternative routes to avoid congestion. The majority of the drivers felt they were less stressed due to the VICS advice. Drivers also indicated that the information on the traffic jams was the most valuable and that they would like the service area to be expanded. According to the results of several road tests, the amount of time saved with the dynamic route guidance system (DRGS) in VICS was approximately 15 percent.