Expected Increase in Demand for Bus Drivers with More Public Buses on the Roads

Mr Teo Siong Seng asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a comprehensive manpower study to ascertain the total projected demand for bus drivers in anticipation of the many more public buses to be provided on the roads; and (b) how would the Ministry help the school bus and private bus operators which are already very short of local drivers to meet the increased manpower demand in their industry.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, we will be partnering the public bus operators – SBS Transit and SMRT buses – to roll out the Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP). This will significantly improve current bus service levels over the coming years. With the addition of 550 buses that will be funded by the Government under the BSEP, and another about 250 buses that the Public Transport Operators (PTOs) themselves will add at their cost, we expect to progressively increase the public bus fleet by about 800 buses over the next five years. This will require the two public bus operators to recruit a total of approximately 1,600 more bus drivers, because it takes an average of about two drivers to operate a bus throughout the day.

This is a significant increase in the overall manpower requirement facing the public bus industry. The public bus operators will also have to compete with other companies that similarly have to target locals in the face of a reduction in the intake of foreign labour. Nonetheless, how the public bus operators intend to improve their wages and employment terms to attract and retain sufficient bus drivers are ultimately matters for the PTOs to decide as the Government will not micro-manage such matters. However, this is clearly a top priority for both bus operators, and I understand that they are currently in talks with the unions on this matter.

Similar to the public bus operators, there is also a limit to how much the Government can and should intervene in the labour market for the wider private bus industry. In particular, bus driver salaries for this sector should remain market-driven, and private bus operators should make their own commercial decisions on how to ensure that their businesses remain viable in the face of a tightening labour market.

Mr Teo Siong Seng: I thank the Minister for the explanations. Being a shipping man, I have experience working with the PSA. During the peak season, where they need to move containers from, let us say, Tanjong Pagar to Pasir Panjang, they talk to the operators like us, to use our ships to ferry the containers. Would the Ministry consider, working with the private bus operators with their existing fleet and their bus drivers, to supplement the public transport during the morning and evening peak hours, without having to put more buses on the roads and having to fight for the limited number of bus drivers?

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, let me thank Mr Teo for that very interesting supplementary question. Indeed, this is something that the LTA is exploring. Not something that is so easy to implement because the private operators we know are also trying to maximise the utilisation of their fleet as much as possible. Whether for workers using private buses, or for the general public commuting on the public buses, the peak hours are roughly about the same. So, therefore, the demand for buses, regardless of whether they are from the private industry or from the public bus companies, generally will tend to peak around the same period. Nonetheless, this is something that LTA is trying to explore together with the private bus companies, to see if indeed there is some room to do as the Member has suggested.

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Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): I thank the Minister for his clarification. My question relates to foreign bus drivers because I am quite certain the significant number of this increase will include foreign bus drivers. Just last week, we had a bus accident involving a foreign bus driver. I would like to ask the Minister, in light of this, what are the measures put in place to ensure that the foreign bus drivers are well qualified, adaptable and can assimilate as well and do the job effectively here and without compromising safety of other road users or pedestrians.

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: I thank Mr Zaqy for that supplementary question. Indeed, we are all saddened by that incident that happened in Sengkang last week. Regardless of whether it is a local driver or a foreign driver, I think it is something that we want very much to avoid as much as possible. In terms of the composition of the nationality of the drivers in the public bus sector, about 61% are locals, meaning Singaporeans and PRs; about 26% are Malaysians; and about 12%-13% are from PRC. Taken across the two companies, because they are given the ratio of within 10% but across the entire workforce, they are within those limits. MOM is very stringent on the quotas that they allow for all the different sectors. We know that and, in fact, it is something that is keenly felt not just by the bus sector but across the service sector as well as the other sectors. The more important thing actually is to make sure that regardless of nationality, every driver is adequately trained, appropriately qualified, and especially if they come from abroad, they are given the kind of orientation that will help them familiarise themselves with the peculiarities of the system here in Singapore,.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: My question is a follow-up question to Mr Zaqy Mohamad's. We expect more foreigners applying to become bus drivers. Is the Ministry concerned that these foreign bus drivers might visit our casinos? And I think we are all aware that a bus driver, without enough sleep, can be a public safety hazard. So, is the Ministry doing something about that?

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: Let me thank Mr Low Thia Khiang for that very interesting supplementary question, although I would hasten to add that there is probably a host of activities and not just visiting the casino that might keep not only the drivers, but all of us awake at night, including Euro football and everything else. But it is a valid question in the sense that we must not only train the drivers in terms of equipping them with the skills but preparing them for life in Singapore, which may be very different from what they are accustomed to in the past. And, hence, part of the training programme is to make sure that we infuse in them the responsibility that they carry when they drive a vehicle like a bus, and to make sure that they pay stringent attention to road conditions and that they operate their vehicles in as safe a manner as possible.

Mr Speaker: Mr David Ong, last question.

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Mr David Ong (Jurong): May I ask the Minister whether our bus drivers are being over-taxed? Are they driving too long a distance? Are they driving longer hours? Have we reviewed the driving conditions of every driver, so that we can enhance road safety in public buses?

Mr Lui Tuck Yew: I thank the Member for his supplementary question. As I mentioned earlier, on average, we have about two drivers for every bus in order to operate the bus through the course of the day. Of course, the peak periods, where we deploy most of the fleet, are when we use the drivers at the heaviest, that is, the morning peak as well as the evening peak. In between, some of the drivers will then get to rest in the interchanges and use the facilities. I believe that the ratio of about two drivers to one bus has been something that we have used over an extended period of time. So, I do believe that it is something that is adequate. It is just to make sure that we continue to emphasise safety, continue to ensure that as much as possible, the drivers are properly trained, properly equipped with the skill sets, as well as be very familiar with the routes and the road conditions when they are driving.