Bus Drivers' Work Week

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport in light of the proposal to introduce a six-day work week for SMRT bus drivers (a) whether the Ministry adopts a hands-off approach as far as the salary and welfare of bus drivers of the public transport operators are concerned; and (b) whether there are plans to ensure that there are sufficient bus drivers to service the additional 800 new buses under the Bus Services Enhancement Programme.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Our regulatory framework allows flexibility for public transport operators (PTOs) to structure their operations as appropriate to meet the required service standards. This includes the setting of bus drivers' salaries and terms of employment. Ministry of Transport does not directly intervene in these decisions. However, like all employers in Singapore, the PTOs have to comply with relevant workplace and labour requirements. On salary and welfare matters, it is in the PTOs' interest to work with the unions, as they have done consistently.

Under the Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP), the Government will fund 550 new buses to improve service levels. This is in addition to the 250 or so buses that the public transport operators (PTOs) will add at their own cost. As a result, we expect that the two PTOs will have to recruit about 1,600 more bus drivers in total. This is a significant increase in the manpower requirements of the public bus industry, and the PTOs will have to offer competitive terms to be able to attract sufficient new drivers.

Page: 431

As they announced recently, both PTOs have adjusted the salary and employment terms for their bus drivers. We expect that both PTOs will closely monitor the impact of these changes on recruitment and retention trends, and be ready to make further adjustments as necessary so as to meet their commitment to operate the additional buses being rolled out under the BSEP.