{
  "id": 8359160,
  "title": "Foreign recruits get behind wheel as Hiroshima bus shortage bites",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/foreign-recruits-get-behind-wheel-as-hiroshima-bus-shortage-bites",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-19T01:56:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260919/p2g/00m/0li/003000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hiroshima, Japan is facing a shortage of bus drivers, leading a local transport company to recruit foreign nationals for the first time. Saeful Ulum, 49, and Thiery Corompis, 36, from Indonesia, began training as prospective drivers in April, marking a historic first for bus operators in Hiroshima Prefecture. The company, Hiroshima Kotsu, currently employs 195 drivers, down from around 245 a decade ago, which has made it challenging to maintain routes and led to service reductions in 2024. With few younger people entering the profession, the workforce is aging, with an average age of 53. To address the issue, company president Tadayuki Teshima traveled to Indonesia to find candidates, noting the country's right-hand drive and left-side traffic laws are similar to Japan's. Both Ulum and Corompis had to convert their Indonesian driver's licenses to Japanese ones, with Corompis finding the process more difficult than anticipated. Despite the challenges, both men completed their training and passed the practical test after multiple attempts. While they have basic Japanese language skills, they still need to learn customer service skills and managing onboard payments. Both express their desire to provide good service to passengers and become drivers the local community can trust.",
  "summary": "HIROSHIMA (KYODO) -- Faced with a worsening shortage of bus drivers, a Hiroshima transport company has turned to Indonesia for help, hiring two foreig",
  "key_points": [
    "Hiroshima bus shortage leads to foreign driver recruitment.",
    "Saeful Ulum and Thiery Corompis, Indonesian nationals, start training.",
    "Company president Tadayuki Teshima travels to Indonesia to find drivers."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Hiring foreign nationals for the first time helps Hiroshima Kotsu address its bus driver shortage, but also requires them to adapt to Japan's traffic laws and customer service expectations.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}