News Italian-born driver begins operating community bus in Aichi

Here's one of the new faces of Japan:


Elena Hashimoto, 46, originally from Trieste, Italy, has been driving the community-run "Shinshiro S-Bus" in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture , since spring 2024. The bus operates on four routes in the mountainous city, where public transportation options are limited. The service plays a key role for residents commuting, attending school, and shopping.

Hashimoto moved to Japan in 2006 after meeting her husband at a mosaic art school in Italy. She later settled in Shitara, Aichi, where she organized community events and art classes before becoming a bus driver. She now drives the same hour-long route twice daily through rural terrain, offering friendly conversation and pointing out scenic views to passengers.

Hashimoto's aspiration to become a driver stemmed from a part-time job she did at a gas station. She became acquainted with truck drivers and yearned to drive large vehicles. "I want to be a dump truck driver," she earnestly told a staffer at Hello Work Shinshiro, the local public employment assistance office. Around that time, Seisan Kotsu, based in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, which operates the S-Bus service, was looking for drivers, and in the spring of 2024, Hashimoto secured a job at the company. Normally, a class 2 large motor vehicle license is required for commercial passenger transport, but the S-Bus falls under the "private passenger transport for hire" category according to the Road Transportation Act, allowing her to drive with only a large motor vehicle type 1 license.

Click to expand...

Meanwhile, a Japanese logistics consultancy is set to assist transport firms in recruiting and employing foreign truck drivers to address a labour shortage that risks disrupting the industry.

Funai Soken Logistics will hold three recruitment tours in Bangladesh this year. It will also set up a mock driving course with Japanese road signs on the premises of a local partner institution, allowing new hires to train before they arrive in Japan. The goal is to recruit 90 people. The service involves posting job openings through local partner organizations and prescreening candidates to streamline the hiring process. Recruiters from Japan will then for group interviews.

Click to expand...

Paywall alert: