Bad Attitude Drivers 運転士 ~

[JR 500系]

This thread is dedicated to the bad attitude drivers that were caught on video for not following JR or their rail company's standards, the black sheeps of the high level of standards for Japanese train operations...

 

 

He looks like he is chewing gum and look at the way he 'points' to the signs...

 

 

Slightly better than the first one, but still... Look no gloves and one hand only on the handle..

 

 

This guy looks like he is sleeping...

 

Please add me if you spot more ~

[VJM]

I'm not sure that I support the purpose of this thread. 

 

While I agree that the highest standards should be upheld, a train driver's job can be very difficult at the best of times, especially in a high-pressure environment like Japan's railways.  They don't need us watching over their shoulders for the slightest slip-up, and I am sure that each and every one of us would not appreciate the same scrutiny in our own places of work.

[splifdfx]

I somewhat agree with VJM, but we could change the concept to "badass drivers".

 

The driver from the first video, which had me laughing, looks like a thug/yakuza :D
He still seems to do a proper job at stopping the train at the exact place at the end.

 

Also some comments on the youtube page state that the chewing-gum is authorized for drivers as a measure to help fighting sleepiness and the sunglasses obviously against light.

 

The guy on the third video looks like he has Tourette's Syndrom as he yells at the signals ; he seems extremely tense or hyped about doing his job correctly.

Edited August 19, 2016 by splifdfx

[IST]

The third one seems to me a racer, while the first one acts like the coolest guy on the Earth. :)

I think acting as it is written in their rulebook is part of their job and they know that the travelers can see them in every seconds, so it is not surprising for them. The stress factor can be really high but still you have to keep all the rules including the behaviour related ones.

[railsquid]

I bet you won't see any Singapore MRT drivers chewing gum ;)

[kvp]

The first one seems lazy and imho he is sitting way too low for good visibility. At the end he has to get up to see clearly before the train.

 

The 2nd one is more or less ok. Gloves are not a technical requirement and he is driving a train with a single hand controller. (the grab bar is for the other hand)

 

The 3rd one is scary as he has lots of small but highly visible extra movements. This is either a mental or physical disorder which could be dangerous. The reason behind it could anxiety of being filmed.

[JR 500系]

While I too somewhat agree with what VJM san is saying, but keeping a good head even under pressure is professionalism, right?  :)  I know we are all but human and I too have been stressed under pressure, but we should still continue to do our job well  ~ 

 

I'm not sure about gum, but I guess it helps fight sleepiness is somewhat through... But we don't see Shinkansen drivers chewing gum that often, right? They have a much longer driving period than commuter ones and at a much higher speed which places them in even more stress...

 

 

I bet you won't see any Singapore MRT drivers chewing gum ;)

 

Hi squid - You wouldn't see this ever. Cause Singapore MRT are either fully automated (driverless) or there is no window to see into the driver's cabin so he might even be eating in there ~  :P

 

 

The first guy really acts like the coolest guy, and i'm sure JR has straight rules regarding this... I recall from a documentary that JR even has 'plain cloths' 'detective' to monitor the drivers under any situation, even from train platforms!  

 

The last guy really might have some physical or psychological disorder, then it's understandable. But Tokyu might wish to look into the overall safety of its commuters...

[westfalen]

But we don't see Shinkansen drivers chewing gum that often, right?

How do you know what Shinkansen drivers do while they are driving? You can't see into the cab.

 

As a train driver myself the only one of the three I would hesitate getting on a train with is the third one.  The first two might not live up to JR's standards (whatever they are, I don't have a JR rule book) but they look like perfectly normal train drivers to me, especially the second one.

[railsquid]

Hi squid - You wouldn't see this ever. Cause Singapore MRT are either fully automated (driverless) or there is no window to see into the driver's cabin so he might even be eating in there ~  :P

 

So chewing gum is available in Singapore, you're saying?

[marknewton]

The first one seems lazy and imho he is sitting way too low for good visibility. At the end he has to get up to see clearly before the train.

 

The 3rd one is scary as he has lots of small but highly visible extra movements. This is either a mental or physical disorder which could be dangerous. The reason behind it could anxiety of being filmed.

The first bloke is driving into the sun. That's why he's wearing sunnies and has the blind pulled down. As long as he can see the signals that's fine. Same for his stopping marker at the platform - he needs to see out to the side to line up on that, not to the front.

 

Looking at the third bloke, I wouldn't be surprised if he was near the end of a long shift, and he's simply tired. I know I get fidgety and twitchy when I'm near the end of a long diagram. Just sitting for a long stretch can be hard if you're fatigued. I'll often roll the seat back and stand if I'm starting to feel twitchy.

 

As for being filmed while working, it's a potential distraction I wouldn't care for at all.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[katoftw]

Define bad attitude?

[ToniBabelony]

Regarding the third guy, the Den'entoshi line has a one or two drivers like that and is notorious because of this. You can tell railway fans you had a 'kibishii' driver on the Den'entoshi, and most will immediately understand what you're talking about. :P

[westfalen]

The first bloke is driving into the sun. That's why he's wearing sunnies and has the blind pulled down. As long as he can see the signals that's fine. Same for his stopping marker at the platform - he needs to see out to the side to line up on that, not to the front.

 

Looking at the third bloke, I wouldn't be surprised if he was near the end of a long shift, and he's simply tired. I know I get fidgety and twitchy when I'm near the end of a long diagram. Just sitting for a long stretch can be hard if you're fatigued. I'll often roll the seat back and stand if I'm starting to feel twitchy.

 

As for being filmed while working, it's a potential distraction I wouldn't care for at all.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

You could be right about the third one, I probably look the same after the four hour trip to Caboolture and back at the end of our 0237 job.

 

But I still don't trust him, he's the only one of the three that doesn't appear to have a Seiko pocket watch. :)

[marknewton]

Regarding the third guy, the Den'entoshi line has a one or two drivers like that and is notorious because of this. You can tell railway fans you had a 'kibishii' driver on the Den'entoshi, and most will immediately understand what you're talking about. :P

Sounds interesting - what does "kibishii" mean?

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

You could be right about the third one, I probably look the same after the four hour trip to Caboolture and back at the end of our 0237 job.

 

But I still don't trust him, he's the only one of the three that doesn't appear to have a Seiko pocket watch. :)

I don't know what would be worse, four hours on the one train or the 0237 start. :(

 

That's one of the reasons I don't do earlies any more. Our early AM jobs used to be short and sweet, but after numerous timetable revisions and the accompanying changes to the diagrams some of our longest jobs are on earlies. How that accords with the principles of fatigue rostering is a mystery to me. But that's another topic entirely.

 

As for pocket watches, I'd love to own a railway Seiko, but the few I've seen for sale were well out of my price range. I've got a pair of Russian railway watches, one of which was made for the TCCD in Turkey of all places, and a nice NSWGR Omega. I used to have a very old NSWGR Waltham, but that got stolen some years ago. It was a beautiful timepiece, and had originally been issued to a driver from the suburban steam depot at Belmore. Ah well, such is life...

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[ToniBabelony]

Sounds interesting - what does "kibishii" mean?

It means 'strict' or 'tight', but can of course be interpreted in various ways. Especially in a subtle language as Japanese.

[marknewton]

Thanks Toni, I get the meaning now. We have a few drivers on the Illawarra like that... :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Socimi]

This one is from Warsaw, Poland.

 

 

Elbow-driving a Metrovagonmash 81-717

[nah00]

Surprised to not see this on here, when you gotta go you gotta go:

 

JR East driver reprimanded for urinating from train at station

 

NATIONAL

SEP. 19, 2016 - 06:45AM JST ( 29 ) 

 

TOKYO —

JR East has reprimanded a train driver who opened the door of his cabin and urinated onto the tracks at Sakura Station on the Sobu Line in Chiba Prefecture.

According to JR officials, the incident occurred at around 5:15 p.m. on Sept 12. Fuji TV reported that a commuter on the platform saw the driver open his side door and urinate onto the tracks while the train was stopped at the station. The witness reported the incident to station officials.

The driver, a man in his 50s, was quoted by JR officials as saying he didn’t want to delay the train’s departure by going to the toilet. He said he has done the same thing on a number of occasions before, Fuji TV reported.
JR East said the driver has been reassigned to another division and no longer operates trains.

The company said drivers are supposed to inform the control center in advance that they need to go to the toilet.

JR East issued a statement apologizing to passengers over the incident.

[cteno4]

It has its own thread here

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/11976-that-japanese-train-driver-incident/?hl=urinating

 

I think it was not attitude as much as bladder limits...

 

Jeff

[westfalen]

Elbow-driving a Metrovagonmash 81-717

I was behind the driver of an ICE3 coming into one of the dead end platforms at Munich Hauptbahnhof once with the driver talking on his mobile phone and moving the controls with his elbow.  If I was seen doing that by a supervisor I'd have to show cause why I should keep my job.  I guess different railways have different rules.

[Socimi]

Still the worst japanese train driver is Mr.Matao Maeka, a fictional character developed by JR to show how carelessness leads to accidents.

 

[Fan Mix]

 

One of his first appearances was with JR East

 

 

But in most of the others cases he is a JR-West driver

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Socimi

[cteno4]

The John Cleese of train drivers! His hr practices videos will make you never forget what not to do!

 

Jeff

[Gryphr]

Still the worst japanese train driver is Mr.Matao Maeka, a fictional character developed by JR to show how carelessness leads to accidents.

 

One of his first appearances was with JR East

 

But in most of the others cases he is a JR-West driver

 

Seems to be Forklift driver Klaus' japanese, train driving cousin :)

[Socimi]

Seems to be Forklift driver Klaus' japanese, train driving cousin :)

Just searched for it online and found the english subtitled version. The only thing i can say is: oh god.

 

Well, atleast Mr. Maeka didn't kill five of his coworkers on his first day!