This photo shows how driver training is conducted abroad. (Photo courtesy of Tetra Shift)
SAPPORO — Facing a shortage of local bus drivers, the Sapporo Municipal Government has launched a new initiative to train foreign drivers overseas and recruit them to work in the city.
The project marks the first time in Japan that a local government has taken the lead in supporting overseas bus driver training.
According to the city, there were 7,153 bus services operating daily in Sapporo in 2024, a 24% decrease since 2019. Behind this is a chronic shortage of drivers. The three companies operating local buses in the city — Hokkaido Chuo Bus Co., JR Hokkaido Bus Co. and Jotetsu Co. — had about 1,500 drivers in 2024, down about 300 from 2020. Seventy percent of them are in their 50s or 60s, and a wave of retirements is expected in the coming years.
This photo shows how driver training is conducted abroad. (Photo courtesy of Tetra Shift)
To secure enough staff to maintain bus routes, the municipal government has turned its attention to foreign drivers. The plan is to train 10 people in their home country and invite them to Sapporo to drive local buses.
Recruitment began in Vietnam in May. Vehicles in the country travel on the right, and the driver’s side is on the left — the opposite of Japan. Candidates are also informed during the recruitment process that they will be driving in the snowy conditions of Hokkaido winters.
From July this year through October 2027, trainees will study in Vietnam to obtain a driver’s license, learn Japanese, and receive education about Japanese culture and customs. After that, training will move to Japan, where over the course of a year starting in fall 2027, they will learn basic driving skills at a driving school to ensure retention. The three local bus companies plan to hire the trainees who are expected to begin working as drivers from 2028 onward.
The municipal government will cover the cost of Japanese language lessons in Vietnam and travel expenses to Sapporo. The project has been outsourced to Tetra Shift, a company based in Tokyo that supports recruitment of foreign workers.
This photo shows how driver training is conducted abroad. (Photo courtesy of Tetra Shift)
In 2024, the national government added the automobile transportation industry to the list of sectors eligible for the Specified Skilled Worker visa, which allows medium to long term employment of foreign workers. While bus companies have begun hiring foreign drivers, it remains rare for a local government to independently implement and support such initiatives.
Sapporo has previously provided subsidies for language study and housing to bus companies hiring foreign drivers. Hokkaido’s bus companies Abashiri Bus Co. and Nemuro Kotsu Co. have hired and trained foreign drivers.
(Japanese original by Kenichi Mito, Hokkaido News Department)
AloJapan.com