Japan rail worker fired for overcharging foreigners for bullet train tickets
The 20-year-old worker collected extra money by charging passengers for an additional person when they bought multiple tickets
Central Japan Railway Co. said Thursday it fired a male employee who embezzled about 100,000 yen (US$910) after overcharging foreign passengers who bought shinkansen bullet train tickets at Shin-Osaka Station in western Japan, on seven occasions this year.
According to the operator, the 20-year-old worker collected extra money by charging passengers for an additional person when they bought multiple tickets at the station in Osaka Prefecture.
He kept the extra tickets and cashed them at other JR stations.
The malpractice was carried out between April and May, and the operator started investigating the situation after one of the passengers reported their case on May 13.
JR Central said it will not file a criminal complaint against the employee as the overcharged money has already been returned to the passenger who reported the incident.
The employee was quoted as telling the operator that he overcharged them because he wanted money and targeted passengers who appeared to be foreigners.
The train operator said it is “very regrettable” that customers’ trust has been betrayed, and that it will ensure that such incidents never happen again.
