TOKYO: Japan bus drivers are ageing rapidly, with more than one in four now aged 60 or older, surveys show.
The average age of bus drivers rose from 46.5 in 2010 to 56.0 in 2025, according to the labour ministry’s Basic Survey on Wage Structure.
The average age of all workers in Japan rose from 41.3 to 44.4 over the same period. The Nihon Bus Association said more than 19,000 bus drivers were aged 60 or older as of 2024.
That accounted for 26.1% of drivers employed by about 700 businesses that responded to the association’s survey, up from 10.8% in 2003.
National Police Agency Traffic Bureau statistics showed that drivers aged 75 or older were involved in fatal traffic accidents at twice the rate of drivers under 75.
NPA officials said elderly drivers are more prone to errors such as pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.
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Older drivers were involved in fatal bus crashes in May in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, and Nagoya’s Minami Ward.
The bus association estimates Japan’s bus-driver workforce will fall from 108,000 in 2024 to 93,000 in 2030.
Hidemoto Tachibana, deputy head of labour relations and safety at the association, said job fairs and support for license costs had failed to attract enough young drivers.
