Kyoto bus driver of 29 years pockets S$9.20 fare, loses his job & S$110,000 retirement package

For stealing just 1,000 yen (S$9.20) from passengers' fare, a Japanese bus driver in Kyoto lost his job and his retirement package, valued at over 12 million yen (S$100,600).

The 58-year-old bus driver, who had served for 29 years, tried to sue the city for the harsh penalty meted out to him.

The Supreme Court on Apr. 17, 2025, however, eventually decided to uphold the original penalty.

What happened

The incident occurred in February 2022, according to The Mainichi.

A group of five passengers had boarded the bus and paid him 1,150 yen (S$10.59).

The driver instructed the group to drop 150 yen worth of coins into a fare collection box, and accepted a 1,000 yen bill by hand instead.

However, he did not deposit the bill in the fare processing machine, nor did he report the 1,000 yen properly.

His theft was, in turn, caught on camera by the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau. 

According to CBS News, the driver tried to deny having stolen the bill in a meeting with his superior, despite the video evidence.

They sacked him, and decided to withhold his entire retirement pay too.

Was it excessive?

The driver, upon being denied his retirement money, sued Kyoto city.

The initial ruling by the Kyoto District Court in July 2023 determined that he had embezzled the money, thus justifying the withholding of retirement benefits.

On appeal, however, the Osaka High Court in February 2024 found the punishment to be "excessive" and overturned the decision in the driver's favour.

The court battle went up to the Supreme Court, and on Apr. 17 it reinstated the original penalty against the driver.

Their reason? According to CBS, the court found that the man’s conduct could possibly undermine public trust in the system, and the sound operation of the bus service.

CBS also reported that the driver had been reprimanded several times during his career over various incidents.

One of these included repeatedly smoking an electronic cigarette while on duty, although there were no passengers on board at the time.

An official at Kyoto's public transport bureau told AFP:

"Each one of the bus drivers works alone and handles public money. We took it very seriously that embezzlement related to this area of our work took place.

If our strict measures were not accepted, then our organisation could become careless and it could result in eroding the public's trust."

Top photo from Canva