Japan Press Weekly

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2016 January 20 - 26 [LABOR]

Drivers’ union condemns deregulation in bus business

Following the recent ski bus accident killing 15 people in Nagano Prefecture, the All-Japan Federation of Automobile Transport Workers’ Unions (Jiko-soren), affiliated with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), published a statement on January 19 calling on the central government to take emergency measures to prevent recurrence of such fatal accidents.

As a cause of the latest calamity, the statement points to the fact that the deregulatory measures implemented by the government in 2000 have encouraged small companies to enter into the bus service industry which brought about the current excessive competition with related cost-cutting measures.

“As many irresponsible bus companies have entered the market and travel agencies have forced them to operate at low cost, safety-related expenses have been curtailed. As a result, drivers’ working conditions have deteriorated, which endangers the safety of passengers,” it states.

The statement goes on to point out that the labor minister’s notification advises bus firms to allow drivers an interval of rest of at least eight hours between their driving duties, but it is impossible to get enough sleep during such a short period of time. It proposes to require bus companies to give drivers a rest period of at least 11 straight hours, including sleep time.

In the document, Jiko-soren demands that state authorities implement the following steps immediately: direct travel agencies not to force low-cost operations on bus firms; introduce proper regulations on entry into the bus business; and oblige bus service providers to place a conductor and a guide in each coach.

Past related articles:
> Deregulation underlies deadly bus crash in Nagano [January 17, 2016]
> Low-priced bus tours tend to have lax maintenance of vehicles [January 19, 2016]