FOREIGNER bus and cab drivers

Posted on September 15, 2023

JAPAN CONSIDERING FOREIGNER BUS AND CAB DRIVERS

In response to the shortage of drivers in the trucking and other transportation industries, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism is considering adding “automobile transportation” to the list of “specified skills” so that foreigners can also work as drivers.

The transportation industry is facing a labor shortage, and the cab, truck, and bus industry associations are calling for the addition of “automobile transportation” to the “specified skills” category of the residency qualification in order to increase the number of drivers.

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Immigration and Residence Management Agency are discussing the possibility of adding “automobile transportation” to the list by the end of this fiscal year.

However, cabs and buses must take a test conducted in Japanese to obtain a “second-class license,” which is required to carry customers, and future system design will be a challenge, including how the government will support them to overcome the language barrier.