[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] A 60-year-old man was found dead on a bus that had been out of service for three days during the holiday, shocking the local community.
Although the passenger had not gotten off the bus, neither the driver nor the bus company noticed that he was still inside.
According to United Daily News Network and other local media outlets, the man identified as A, 60, was found dead aboard Route 644 operated by Xindian Bus Transportation in Xindian District, New Taipei City, at around 6:54 a.m. on the 27th.
A passenger who boarded near Xindian Station found A collapsed and curled up near the rear seats. The passenger alerted the driver and then reported the incident to police.
Police officers and paramedics who responded to the report confirmed that A was already dead. Local reports said no obvious external injuries were found on the body, and police initially determined based on the scene that there were no signs of foul play.
After reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence, police determined that A had boarded the bus at the Qingtan Parking Lot bus stop in Xindian District at around 8:40 p.m. on the 24th.
There was no footage showing A getting off the bus afterward.
The bus returned to its terminal at around 10:30 p.m. and was parked. However, the driver failed to notice that A was still inside.
The driver then took two days off during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and boarded the bus at around 6:45 a.m. on the 27th to resume service. Even then, the driver did not notice A inside the vehicle.
A's family reportedly told authorities that he had Alzheimer's disease.
Police plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Xindian Bus Transportation acknowledged that there had been a problem with the driver's inspection of the vehicle's interior.
According to the company, the driver looked toward the rear before closing the bus doors but concluded that no passengers remained in the seats. However, company regulations require drivers to walk from the front of the vehicle to the rear and check directly that no passengers are left onboard.
Taipei City authorities in Taiwan determined that the bus operator was responsible for failing to properly manage and supervise the driver’s inspections of the vehicle’s interior. They imposed a fine of 30,000 Taiwan dollars, approximately 1.3 million won, on the company.
Jang Jong-ho, reporter bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
