SINGAPORE — The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) and Republic Polytechnic have embarked on a study aimed at improving the work conditions of bus drivers here.

Mr Melvin Yong, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress said on Friday (May 24) that the study will serve up recommendations to tackle some challenges faced by bus workers. It is expected to conclude by the end of this year.

Commuters are more satisfied with bus services, but it is “not always easy for (workers) to meet the required standards on a daily basis”, Mr Yong wrote on the Labour Movement’s blog.

IT’S NOT EASY BEING A BUS DRIVER

The lack of time — both on the road and after a journey is completed — was a common issue raised by bus drivers.

This has led to situations where bus drivers have little time to eat, or use the toilet, Mr Yong said.

Bus operations

• Buses have to arrive at their stops at specified timings, and intervals between buses must not exceed a given time.

• While this is feasible on paper, it can be difficult to implement in reality. This is because a bus route “does not work in isolation”, but is affected by other factors including traffic and weather conditions, as well as commuter flow.

• Drivers said they feel pressured to meet the specified timeline.

• This could lead to unintended consequences such as more aggressive driving behaviour, and an increased risk of accidents, Mr Yong said.

After ending a route

• A bus driver has to wait for a parking lot at the bus interchange.

• This eats into their scheduled break time before they make the next journey.

Commuting to work

• Bus drivers on the morning shift have to report to the bus depot before 4.30am. This means that they rely heavily on transport provided by the company.

• However, these company buses usually run on a fixed schedule with fixed stopping points. This is similar to how school buses work. “The kid that stays the furthest from the school gets picked up first and dropped off last,” Mr Yong said. Consequently, some bus drivers get picked up as early as 3am.

WHAT’S BEING DONE

The NTWU, public transport operators and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) have been making improvements to current and new bus infrastructure. They include:

• Bigger and more conducive rest areas for bus drivers at the new bus interchanges and depots.

• Most bus depots are located in “obscure places” where finding places to eat can be a challenge. Efforts have been made to enhance the canteens at the bus depots and interchanges, so that healthy and affordable food is available to bus drivers.

• “However, such improvements are not sustainable if the break time remains short due to challenges such as long waiting time for parking, or arriving back late due to bad traffic or weather conditions,” Mr Yong said.

• Some operators have started exploring on-demand bus services to fetch drivers to work in the morning. But “more can be done to streamline the pick-up routes to make such transport journeys more efficient for our bus captains”, he said.

THE STUDY

Supported by tripartite partners, LTA and the four public bus operators, the study will:

• Identify and study workflows, work conditions and various situations that a bus drivers may encounter on a daily basis.

• These include the scheduling and rostering process, as well as operational challenges.

The union looks forward to the recommendations and is committed to working with its industry partners to implement them, Mr Yong said.