Written Warning Issued to ‘Hanshin Bus’ After Electric Wheelchair User Refused Boarding

From The Kobe Shimbun

August 13 2026

HYOGO – The Kinki District Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) issued a written warning on the 12th to ‘Hanshin Bus’, based in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, saying that the company violated the Road Transportation Act by refusing to allow a passenger using an electric wheelchair to board without providing fair and appropriate assistance.

According to the bureau, at around 4:30 p.m. on May 19, a woman using an electric wheelchair attempted to board a bus at the Higashinada Ward Office bus stop in Kobe’s Higashinada Ward. The driver refused her request, citing overcrowding. In fact, only the front part of the bus was crowded, and the bureau determined that the driver had failed to assess the situation properly or ask other passengers for their cooperation.

The warning is not an administrative sanction carrying penalties such as the cancellation of the company’s operating license.

Hanshin Bus said, “We will ensure that all employees are fully informed about the need to carefully assess crowding conditions and will work to prevent a recurrence.”