KUALA LUMPUR - The Sapporo Municipal Government has launched a new initiative to train foreign bus drivers overseas and recruit them to work in the city amid an ongoing shortage of local drivers.
The project marks the first time a local government in Japan has directly led efforts to support overseas bus driver training, as reported by The Mainichi.
Sapporo authorities said the city operated 7,153 bus services daily in 2024.
The figure represented a 24 per cent decline compared with 2019 levels.
Officials attributed the reduction largely to a chronic shortage of bus drivers.
The three companies operating local bus services in Sapporo employed around 1,500 drivers in 2024.
These companies are Hokkaido Chuo Bus Co., JR Hokkaido Bus Co. and Jotetsu Co.
The total workforce was approximately 300 drivers fewer than in 2020.
Authorities also noted that around 70 per cent of the current drivers are in their 50s and 60s.
A significant wave of retirements is expected in the coming years.
To address the labour shortage and maintain bus routes, the municipal government has turned to overseas recruitment.
Under the initiative, 10 candidates will be trained in their home country before relocating to Sapporo to work as bus drivers.
Recruitment activities began in Vietnam in May.
Applicants are informed during the recruitment process about the differences in driving conditions between Vietnam and Japan.
Vietnam drives on the right side of the road with left-hand drive vehicles, which differs from Japan’s road system.
Candidates are also briefed on the snowy and challenging winter driving conditions in Hokkaido.
From July this year until October 2027, trainees in Vietnam will study to obtain driving licences while also learning Japanese language skills and Japanese culture and customs.
Training will later continue in Japan beginning in autumn 2027.
Over the following year, trainees will attend driving school to develop and strengthen their practical driving skills.
The three local bus companies are expected to hire the trainees after completion of the programme.
Successful candidates are anticipated to begin working as bus drivers from 2028 onwards.
Sapporo’s municipal government will fund Japanese language lessons conducted in Vietnam as well as travel expenses to Sapporo.
The project has been outsourced to Tokyo-based company Tetra Shift, which specialises in supporting recruitment of foreign workers.
Japan’s national government added the automobile transportation industry to the list of sectors eligible for the Specified Skilled Worker visa in 2024.
The visa category allows medium- to long-term employment of foreign workers in sectors facing labour shortages.
Although some Japanese bus companies have already begun hiring foreign drivers, it remains uncommon for local governments to independently organise and support such recruitment programmes.
Sapporo has previously provided subsidies for language education and housing support to bus companies employing foreign drivers.
Other transport operators in Hokkaido, including Abashiri Bus Co. and Nemuro Kotsu Co., have also hired and trained foreign drivers in recent years.