Who wants to be a bus driver?

Driving a bus may be among the things young boys dream of doing, but everyone soon wakes up to the bleak reality.

Bus drivers are among the lowest-paid workers in Singapore, making more than cleaners but a bit less than factory operators - two of the lowest-paid groups of people here.

After this year's round of adjustments, the average Singaporean driver takes home between $2,000 and $2,500 monthly after overtime and allowance.

Drivers from Malaysia and China make even less.

Salaries aside, working hours can be daunting. They wake up as early as 4am if they are on the morning shift, and knock off after 1am on the late shift.

A split-shift system also means they can be rostered to drive during the morning and evening peak hours on the same day; and days off are not as predictable as those of, say, office workers.

It is no wonder then that SBS Transit and SMRT find it increasingly difficult to hire Singaporean drivers.

In the 1990s, they started sourcing from Malaysia.

Soon, with rising education levels and growing affluence, even Malaysians were hard to come by.

In 2008, the two operators started hiring drivers from China.

There are currently about 7,300 bus drivers between the two operators.

About half are Singaporeans or permanent residents, followed by Malaysians and Chinese.

Chinese drivers make up 11 per cent and 22 per cent of SBS' and SMRT's drivers respectively.

According to the two firms, drivers typically have secondary school education and are between 21 and 65 years old.

Prior to joining, they must have held a Class 3 (car) driving licence for at least a year.

An understanding of simple English is about the only other criterion needed for application.

Successful applicants undergo training of between 31 and 60 days, depending on their familiarity with Singapore roads.

On average, 15 per cent of the 7,300 drivers leave each year.

But some make a long-term career of it. SBS says its longest-serving Singaporean driver has been on the job for 44 years, while a Malaysian has been at it for 38.

While some used to be drivers in previous occupations, others have held various jobs, such as being cooks and policemen.

The Straits Times understands that those who leave usually go on to drive trucks.

Demand for truck drivers - who typically earn 60 to 70 per cent more - has soared with the construction boom.

Malaysians typically start their own businesses back home.

SOURCE

As a Singaporean, do you want to be a public transport bus driver? Or would you rather be a cabbie?