Plans to Ensure Sufficient Singaporean Bus Drivers for All Categories of Passengers

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether there are sufficient existing Singaporean bus drivers to handle all categories of bus passengers, such as students, workers and local or foreign tourists; and (b) if not, what are the Government’s plans to ensure that there will be sufficient bus drivers all round.

The Government is cognisant that some bus service operators are feeling manpower tightness as the reopening of our economy has led to an increase in demand for bus drivers.

To attract and retain a core of local bus drivers in public transport, for instance, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) works closely with the public transport operators to ensure there are sufficient bus drivers to meet our needs. Public transport operators have introduced various initiatives, such as wage increases, flexible work arrangements and sign-on bonuses. LTA and the operators also work closely with the National Transport Workers’ Union to enhance the attractiveness of bus driver jobs.

The Government also complements our supply of local bus drivers with foreign bus drivers where necessary. The Ministry of Manpower is working closely with Ministry of Education, Ministry of Transport and LTA to provide targeted support for public transport operators and school bus operators with additional foreign worker quotas on a time-limited basis.