Tokyo, Japan— Two people were injured after a commuter bus skidded on a wet road and struck a guardrail in the rainy Tokyo suburbs on October 22, 2026.
The bus was on a morning loop in western Tokyo with 18 passengers on board when it entered a downhill curve. Rain had fallen since dawn. The road was slick with runoff and fallen leaves. The rear tires lost grip. The driver corrected, but the front swung into the guardrail at moderate speed.
The impact crushed the front bumper and shattered the windshield. The guardrail bent but held, preventing the bus from dropping into a drainage ditch. Inside, passengers were thrown forward. Two elderly women near the front hit the handrails and suffered fractures and cuts.
Other commuters called emergency services at 7:33 a.m. Police and fire crews arrived in 10 minutes. They closed one lane and placed cones. Paramedics treated the injured on the sidewalk under umbrellas while other passengers waited for a replacement bus.
“The driver was not fast. The road was just very slippery. We felt the bus slide, then a big bang,” said a high school student on board. The driver, a 54-year-old with 20 years experience, told police he braked lightly before the curve and felt the ABS kick in.
The two injured were taken to a hospital in Fuchu. Doctors listed one with a broken hip and one with facial lacerations, both stable. The remaining passengers continued by shuttle. The bus company suspended the route for two hours for inspection.
Traffic police are checking tire tread, brake logs and the road’s drainage. A preliminary report noted water pooling at that curve and a manhole cover near the braking point. The company said the bus passed inspection in September.
The vehicle has been impounded for technical checks. The road reopened before noon. The investigation continues.
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