Japanese Company Apologised Because A Train Left 20 Seconds Earlier Than Scheduled
Punctuality is very important to the Japanese.
By John Lim — 16 Nov 2017, 04:29 PM
If there's one thing we know about the Japanese is their commitment to punctuality
It is customary for Japanese to be punctual. Be it a business meeting or a casual get together, you're expected to be prompt and arrive on time.
They have the same level of expectation for public transportation as well - which explains why a Japanese train company had to issue an official apology after a train left the station 20 seconds earlier that it was scheduled to
The incident happened on Tuesday, 14 November on the Tokyo-area Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company’s Tsukuba Express line, citing Japan Today.
It was reported that the northbound train left Minami Nagareyama Station at 9.43am 40 seconds - 20 seconds earlier than the 9.44am scheduled time.
As a result of the boo-boo, the Tsukuba Express management issued an official apology, posted to the company’s website on the day of the incident itself
The statement reads:
"On 14 November, at approximately 9.44am, a northbound Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company (main office in Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward, President & CEO Koichi Yugi) train left Minami Nagareyama Station roughly 20 seconds earlier than the time indicated on the timetable. We deeply apologise for the severe inconvenience imposed upon our customers."
It was reported that the 20-second difference might've caused commuters to miss transfers later on
Trains arrive every four minutes on the Tsukuba Express Line in the morning. As noted by Japan Times, for some commuters to miss a train by 20 seconds through no fault of their own will result in waiting for the next one in four minutes, and due to miss transfers later on.
This means they might end up late for work or school by several minutes due to a snowballing effect.
It's not only an inconvenience but a potential embarrassment for these commuters.