Spread of new virus infection Decrease in income and dismissal Distressed bus driver suffering March 12 15:34

In the chartered bus industry, which is severely affected by the spread of the new coronavirus, drivers are beginning to see cases of drastically dropping income or being fired when waiting at home. We interviewed the voices of the drivers.

Halve income by declining work

"The other day, my last job is over. I haven't worked anymore." A 46-year-old male driver works for a bus company in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The men are full-time employees and are mainly in charge of tours for tourists from Vietnam and Thailand.

As the spread of the new coronavirus spreads, the company's work has gradually decreased, and all work until early next month has been cancelled.

Men live with their wives and three junior high school sons, but as a result, their salaries have fallen to about half, and they are having trouble repayment of mortgages and raising family living expenses.

In addition, some companies are starting to order drivers to wait at home, and they say that they are worried that they will be able to continue their work in the future.

"My son is going to high school next month and spending is going up. In this context, my job is going down and the damage is immense. In some situations, I may be fired and I don't know what will happen. I'm full of anxiety. "

There are also cases where employees are fired due to a sharp decrease in work

Work has dropped dramatically, and some drivers have begun to be fired.

"I was fired at the end of last month. I have a family, but how do I live now?" Says a 67-year-old male driver of a chartered bus.

The man worked as a full-time employee at a bus company in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but was fired last month.

The bus company where the men worked mainly operated tour buses for Chinese tourists, but due to the effect of the new coronavirus, cancellations were repeated after January, and all work was subsequently canceled Was.

When she was worried about her job completely gone, she was suddenly told by a company representative at the end of January that she had been fired.

"The person in charge said, 'I'm out of work, and if I pay the labor costs as it is, the company will be destroyed. I'm very sorry, but I will fire all the crew members in full February.' Anxious ... "

The male driver lives with his wife and three disabled daughters in their 30s.

Although they have received their pensions, it is difficult to live on their own, and they have been registered with two shuttle bus dispatch companies to find new jobs, and have continued to find employment.

However, recently there have been many applicants for recruitment of drivers, so even now it has not been hired.

Also, when I came here, the person in charge of the original company told me that the company will be shut down for a while from the middle of this month.

When I was fired, the person in charge told me that when the situation recovers and I want to recruit again, I will give priority to recruitment.

"I would like to work as a bus driver with more than 30 years of experience, but with no prospect of returning to work on the bus, I would like to live for my disabled daughter and family. Must look for a job other than the driver, but can an elderly and inexperienced person find a new job?