A male bus driver in his 40s, working for JR Bus Kanto’s Shirakawa branch in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, received a 25-day suspension for repeatedly using his smartphone while driving a route bus in May. It was noted that there were no passengers on board at the time of the incident.
According to the company, on May 4, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., the driver operated a bus from Shirakawa City to Tanakura Town while wearing wireless earphones and manipulated his personal smartphone 59 times. The irregularity came to light when a route manager grew suspicious because the bus did not return to the garage on schedule and decided to check the dashcam footage.
When questioned by the company, the driver explained that he was listening to a downloaded radio program. The disciplinary action was dated May 29, and the driver has since returned to his driving duties this month.
While Japan’s Road Traffic Act states that using a smartphone while driving can result in a penalty of up to six months imprisonment or a fine of up to 100,000 yen if the driver is found to be looking at the device, the company reported that, based on video review, the driver was not looking at his phone. Following inquiries, the company reported the incident to the Fukushima Transportation Bureau under the Tohoku Transport Bureau on the 14th of this month.
by MagazineKey4532