A bus driver in Japan lost a retirement benefit worth €73,000 because he defrauded passengers of €6 by accepting fare.
A driver with 29 years of service was fired by Kyoto authorities after a security camera installed on a bus captured him defrauding passengers of 1,000 yen (6 euros) in 2022.
When he was refused a retirement severance payment, the man took the matter to court. The first-instance court ruled against him, but on appeal the court found that he had been punished disproportionately.
Ultimately, on Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the first-instance court's ruling. It found that the driver's conduct could have undermined public confidence in the public transport management system.
The camera captured the scene when a group of five passengers boarded the bus, who were supposed to pay a total of 1,150 yen for the fare. The driver asked them to put 150 yen in a box and accepted a 1,000 yen note but did not include it in the bill.
Although the scene was recorded, the driver – who had been previously reprimanded for several other incidents – tried to deny the facts in a conversation with his supervisor.
“Each bus driver works alone and deals with public money. We have treated this case as fraud,” Shinichi Hirai, a representative of the Kyoto public transport office, told AFP on Friday. (PAP)
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