Japanese bus driver lost $84,000 in pension for 30 years of service, arrested and stole $7

A Japanese bus driver who served for 29 years lost $84,000 worth of retirement package after being fired for stealing $7 from passengers’ fares.

Kyoto Castle fired the man who took his security camera in 2022 by the bus’s security camera and was stolen 1,000 yen ($7) in 2022.

The driver sued the city but lost the case after he was deprived of more than 12 million yen ($84,000) in his pension.

The court ruled that the punishment was excessive and the judgment in his favor was overturned.

But the Supreme Court made a final ruling Thursday to restore the original fine.

It ruled that the person’s actions could undermine public trust in the system and reasonable operation of public transportation services.

According to the ruling, in the initial incident, a group of five passengers entered the bus and paid him 1,150 yen.

In February 2022, the 58-year-old driver received a 1,000-year bill from the passenger instead of putting it in the fare processor, according to the Mainichi newspaper. According to media reports, the theft was discovered when the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau discovered the incident on the bus’s track cam video.

Despite being caught by the camera, he tried to deny it in a meeting with his boss.

According to the ruling, the driver has been condemned several times over his career for various incidents.

This includes repeated smoking during duty, although there are no passengers on board.

Kyoto Castle praised the decision.

“Every bus driver works alone and handles public funds. We are very serious about the embezzlement related to this area where we work,” Shinichi Hirai, an official at Kyoto Public Transportation Bureau, told AFP.

“If our strict measures are not accepted, then our organizations may become careless and this could erode public trust,” he said.