Japanese Taxi Industry Faces Challenges Due to Aging Drivers
Toei Taxi Recruits Foreigners from Peru and Guinea
Government and Local Authorities Expand Foreign Driver's License Tests
Introduction photo of Fukuoka Toei Taxi company, which is actively hiring foreign taxi drivers. Screenshot from Toei website.
Mara Bangali, originally from Guinea, Africa, is a former basketball player standing over 2 meters tall. He is currently working as a taxi driver in Fukuoka, Japan. Although the country, language, and culture of Japan are unfamiliar and challenging, he obtained his license with the support of Toei Taxi Company. Besides Bangali, about ten other taxi drivers from various countries such as Africa and Bangladesh work at Toei. This company allows employees to work only three days a week, and depending on working hours, they can earn around 6 million yen per month.
The Japanese taxi industry, facing a crisis due to an aging population, is turning to foreigners to overcome difficulties. On the 18th, Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that "Fukuoka City’s Toei Taxi has actively recruited foreigners and succeeded in nurturing young talent, including people in their 20s."
Mara Bangali from Guinea, Africa, working as a taxi driver in Fukuoka. Photo by Fukuoka TeleQ News Capture
According to the Japanese National Police Agency, by 2029, there will be a shortage of about 67,000 taxi drivers and about 22,000 bus drivers. In response, the taxi industry is focusing on recruiting talent, and the case of Toei Taxi is attracting attention. About 25% of Toei Taxi’s 46 drivers are foreigners from various nationalities such as Peru and Guinea.
The company is fully supporting these drivers to obtain the essential Class 2 driver’s license for taxi driving. Due to the expensive nature of public transportation fares in Japan, some drivers earn more than 600,000 yen (approximately 5.4 million won) per month. Additionally, the easier traffic environment compared to major cities like Tokyo is attracting foreign job seekers.
Mara Bangali from Guinea, Africa, working as a taxi driver in Fukuoka. Photo by Fukuoka TeleQ News Capture
The government is also expanding multilingual services for the Class 2 driver’s license exam to alleviate labor shortages in the transportation industry. While the general driver’s license exam has been available in foreign languages, the Class 2 license exam had only been conducted in Japanese until now. This exam, which requires knowledge of traffic rules and passenger transportation business, has a pass rate of about 50%. According to the National Police Agency, as of the end of 2023, there were only 6,689 foreigners holding a Class 2 license, accounting for less than 1%.
In response, the National Police Agency is promoting multilingualization by translating Class 2 license sample questions into 20 languages and distributing them to police departments. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department conducts the Class 2 driver’s license exam in English at three testing centers within its jurisdiction. Aichi Prefecture has also introduced the English exam, and Fukuoka Prefecture has been administering exams in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Nepali since March.
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