Boy Scolded by Bus Driver Walks 2 Hours Home
Have you ever gotten on a bus, train or taxi without realizing you didn't have enough money for the fare?
That's what happened to a lower-grade elementary school student in the Japanese city of Hamamatsu in July. When he tried to use his travel card to get off the bus, he was short by 80 yen — about 50 cents.
Officially, in these cases the driver is supposed to ask for the missing amount to be paid the next time the customer rides the bus.
But in July, the driver raised the student's chin to make him look up, saying, "Look at me." He then asked strongly, "What do you do in a situation like this?"
He told the boy to apologize, adding that the boy had to tell his parents what had happened.
The boy had been planning to transfer to another bus — he even had a commuter pass for that bus, so he would not have had to pay.
But instead, he walked about two hours to get home, on a day when the temperature got as high as 37.7 degrees Celsius.
When the boy's parents later reported what had happened, the driver was placed on leave. The driver reportedly said he did not know the boy would be transferring, and said his response had been inappropriate.
When the story was reported in newspapers and on TV, people had different opinions about it.
Speaking to ANN News outside Hamamatsu station, a woman in her 40s said that a child is still a customer. She said of the driver, "I couldn't understand why he took such a heavy-handed attitude."
Others said it was the parents' responsibility to make sure the child had enough money, while one X user said the bus company should have defended the driver instead of putting him on leave.
