An auto accident investigation commission said that an aptitude test conducted on the driver who caused a deadly bus crash in Nagano Prefecture last year showed he had a tendency to mishandle emergency situations.
The finding Wednesday came from the results of a test given by the driver's previous employer. However, the driver changed companies and began work with Tokyo-based ESP, his employer at the time of the crash, which did not conduct a similar test and allowed him to drive a large bus without proper instructions or training, the commission's investigative report showed.
In January 2016, a charter bus operated by ESP careened off a road while traveling downhill in the town of Karuizawa, killing 13 passengers and two ESP employees on board, including the 65-year-old man who was at the wheel of the bus. The passengers who died were all university students.