KOBE – The driver of a Kobe city bus unwittingly locked a sleeping passenger in his vehicle overnight, the local transportation bureau said Sunday.
The passenger, a 63-year-old male resident of the city, spent about 12 hours locked inside the vehicle, which had been parked in a garage in Suma Ward after 8 p.m. on Friday night.
The municipal bus operator said it will apologize to the man.
Under transport regulations, bus drivers must inspect their vehicles at the end of working hours.
The passenger had boarded the bus as it traveled between JR Kobe Station and Kita Ward.
An employee of the bus operator found the man on Saturday morning, when he went to refuel the vehicle, according to the transportation bureau.
The man was quoted as saying he had fallen asleep after drinking alcohol.
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