Japanese bus driver loses $84k retirement fund for stealing $7
Last Updated on April 20, 2025
The final verdict in a case that saw a Kyoto bus driver lose his entire pension fund has been issued – and it’s not good news for the driver.
A bus driver in Kyoto, who had dedicated 29 years of his professional life to public transportation, has been forced to forfeit his substantial retirement package, valued at $84,000 USD, following his dismissal from employment for the act of misappropriating a sum of 1,000 yen, around $7 USD, from passengers’ fares.
The city of Kyoto made the decision to terminate the employment of the driver, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, after security camera footage from his bus recorded him taking 1,000 yen ($7 USD) in the year 2022.
Subsequent to being denied his retirement funds, which amounted to over 12 million yen ($84,000 USD), the dismissed driver initiated legal action against the city of Kyoto. However, he was unsuccessful in his initial attempt to overturn the decision through the legal system.
Despite the initial unfavorable verdict, the driver achieved a reversal of the ruling in his favor upon appeal, with a higher court determining that the severity of the punishment imposed was disproportionate to the offense committed.
However, on Thursday April 18th 2025, the Supreme Court of Japan delivered a final and conclusive ruling that sided with the city of Kyoto, thereby reinstating the original penalty of dismissal and the associated loss of retirement benefits.
In its final judgment, the Supreme Court reasoned that the driver’s conduct, even involving a relatively small sum of money, had the potential to significantly erode public confidence in the integrity of the public transportation system and the reliable operation of the bus service as a whole.
The details of the original incident, as outlined in the court’s ruling, indicate that a group of five passengers boarded the bus and collectively paid the driver 1,150 yen in fares.
According to reports, the incident occurred back in February 2022, when the 58-year-old driver pocketed a 1,000-yen bill that he had received from one of the passengers, instead of properly depositing the fare into the designated fare processing machine.
The act of theft was discovered when personnel at the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau reviewed the dashcam footage recorded inside the bus, as reported by the news outlet.
Despite the clear visual evidence captured by the onboard camera system, the driver reportedly attempted to deny the accusation during a meeting convened with his supervisor to address the incident.
Furthermore, the court’s ruling also revealed that the driver had been subject to multiple reprimands throughout his extensive career with the Kyoto City bus service due to various prior incidents of misconduct.
These prior incidents included the repeated act of smoking an electronic cigarette while on duty, although it was noted that these instances occurred when there were no passengers present on the bus.
The city of Kyoto publicly welcomed the final decision rendered by the Supreme Court in their favor.
Shinichi Hirai, an official within Kyoto’s public transportation bureau, conveyed the city’s stance to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, stating:
“Each one of the bus drivers works independently and is entrusted with handling public funds. We viewed the embezzlement that occurred in this context with the utmost seriousness.”
He further elaborated on the city’s perspective, asserting:
“If our strict measures were not upheld, it could lead to a sense of laxity within our organization and potentially result in a significant erosion of the public’s trust in our services.”
Source: Mainichi Shimbun
