<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>More Singaporeans want to drive buses
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>But operators might still have to look overseas to fill all the vacancies </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Yeo Ghim Lay
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</TD><TD width=10>
</TD><TD vAlign=bottom>
Mr Abdul Rahman, 53, with Mr Wong Siew Hong of the Employment and Employability Institute during a screening session for those who are interested in becoming bus drivers. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MORE Singaporeans are signing up to be bus drivers as the recession takes hold, but it may not be enough for public transport operators to stop recruiting overseas.
Both SBS Transit and SMRT still have vacancies for 280 bus drivers, despite having more Singaporeans come forward in recent months.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>Job requirements
Number of bus driver vacancies
SBS Transit: 180
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>SBS Transit, which runs the majority of bus services here, received applications from 210 Singaporeans in January and February - double the number in the same period last year.
Out of the 210, more than half received job offers from SBS Transit. However, only 86 eventually took up the job.
The success rate is comparable to that for the whole of last year, when 440 Singaporeans were offered the job but only 343 accepted.
SMRT said it had received slightly more local applicants this year.
However, some who were offered the job dropped out because they were not willing to work shifts. National Transport Workers' Union general secretary Fang Chin Poh said recruiting local drivers remains an uphill task.
'Many Singaporeans do not want to take this job because of the long and irregular hours,' said Mr Fang, 50, an SBS Transit bus driver of 29 years.
Bus drivers work for 10 to 12 hours a day. Those on the morning shift have to start as early as 4am, while those working at night can knock off as late as 1am. Currently, about 40 per cent of SBS Transit's 5,200 bus drivers are Singaporeans, and 30 per cent are permanent residents.
The remaining 30 per cent are mostly Malaysians, with mainland Chinese drivers making up 3 per cent.
SBS Transit, which has hired 325 drivers from China since last year, said it had to go overseas because it could not find enough local drivers.
'Our priority is always to recruit Singaporeans. Unfortunately, we have not had much success despite various efforts,' said SBS Transit spokesman Tammy Tan.
With new services and stricter bus frequency standards set to kick in by August, the need to fill the driver's seat has grown more urgent.
'A shortage means that we will not be able to service our commuters in the way we want to,' said Ms Tan.
To plug this hole, the operators are teaming up with the union and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to hold a job fair tomorrow.
'Companies are retrenching and we hope to make use of this opportunity. If Singaporeans are keen to drive a bus, we will welcome them,' said Mr Fang.
Over the past week, e2i has conducted two screening sessions for over 100 people interested in becoming bus drivers.
These people were assessed on whether they meet the minimum education, medical and driving requirements.
Those found suitable for the job will attend a two-day course conducted by e2i, where they will learn more about the job requirements.
Tomorrow, they will meet the public transport operators for interviews at the job fair.
One of the hopeful is Mr Ong Pang Gan, 54, a former factory supervisor who was retrenched in January when his company folded.
'I read in the papers that they were hiring, so I came here to try my luck,' said Mr Ong, who said he does not mind working irregular hours.
Mr Fang said that besides hoping to attract more Singaporeans, the union is in talks with the transport operators to see if salaries can be improved.
A Singaporean bus driver now receives a basic salary of $1,200 every month. With overtime pay and allowances, this can go up to $1,600 or more.
The union has also approached the Land Transport Authority to relax a requirement for those interested in driving a bus but who do not have a Class 3 licence.
Currently, a Class 3 licence and a year's driving experience are prerequisites for those who want to obtain a Class 4 licence to drive a bus.
'Most people will not want to wait a year and because of this, they might not want to drive a bus at all,' said Mr Fang, who hopes the authorities can shorten the period to six months.
The Land Transport Authority said it is assessing the proposal. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>But operators might still have to look overseas to fill all the vacancies </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Yeo Ghim Lay
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Mr Abdul Rahman, 53, with Mr Wong Siew Hong of the Employment and Employability Institute during a screening session for those who are interested in becoming bus drivers. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MORE Singaporeans are signing up to be bus drivers as the recession takes hold, but it may not be enough for public transport operators to stop recruiting overseas.
Both SBS Transit and SMRT still have vacancies for 280 bus drivers, despite having more Singaporeans come forward in recent months.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>Job requirements
Number of bus driver vacancies
SBS Transit: 180
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>SBS Transit, which runs the majority of bus services here, received applications from 210 Singaporeans in January and February - double the number in the same period last year.
Out of the 210, more than half received job offers from SBS Transit. However, only 86 eventually took up the job.
The success rate is comparable to that for the whole of last year, when 440 Singaporeans were offered the job but only 343 accepted.
SMRT said it had received slightly more local applicants this year.
However, some who were offered the job dropped out because they were not willing to work shifts. National Transport Workers' Union general secretary Fang Chin Poh said recruiting local drivers remains an uphill task.
'Many Singaporeans do not want to take this job because of the long and irregular hours,' said Mr Fang, 50, an SBS Transit bus driver of 29 years.
Bus drivers work for 10 to 12 hours a day. Those on the morning shift have to start as early as 4am, while those working at night can knock off as late as 1am. Currently, about 40 per cent of SBS Transit's 5,200 bus drivers are Singaporeans, and 30 per cent are permanent residents.
The remaining 30 per cent are mostly Malaysians, with mainland Chinese drivers making up 3 per cent.
SBS Transit, which has hired 325 drivers from China since last year, said it had to go overseas because it could not find enough local drivers.
'Our priority is always to recruit Singaporeans. Unfortunately, we have not had much success despite various efforts,' said SBS Transit spokesman Tammy Tan.
With new services and stricter bus frequency standards set to kick in by August, the need to fill the driver's seat has grown more urgent.
'A shortage means that we will not be able to service our commuters in the way we want to,' said Ms Tan.
To plug this hole, the operators are teaming up with the union and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to hold a job fair tomorrow.
'Companies are retrenching and we hope to make use of this opportunity. If Singaporeans are keen to drive a bus, we will welcome them,' said Mr Fang.
Over the past week, e2i has conducted two screening sessions for over 100 people interested in becoming bus drivers.
These people were assessed on whether they meet the minimum education, medical and driving requirements.
Those found suitable for the job will attend a two-day course conducted by e2i, where they will learn more about the job requirements.
Tomorrow, they will meet the public transport operators for interviews at the job fair.
One of the hopeful is Mr Ong Pang Gan, 54, a former factory supervisor who was retrenched in January when his company folded.
'I read in the papers that they were hiring, so I came here to try my luck,' said Mr Ong, who said he does not mind working irregular hours.
Mr Fang said that besides hoping to attract more Singaporeans, the union is in talks with the transport operators to see if salaries can be improved.
A Singaporean bus driver now receives a basic salary of $1,200 every month. With overtime pay and allowances, this can go up to $1,600 or more.
The union has also approached the Land Transport Authority to relax a requirement for those interested in driving a bus but who do not have a Class 3 licence.
Currently, a Class 3 licence and a year's driving experience are prerequisites for those who want to obtain a Class 4 licence to drive a bus.
'Most people will not want to wait a year and because of this, they might not want to drive a bus at all,' said Mr Fang, who hopes the authorities can shorten the period to six months.
The Land Transport Authority said it is assessing the proposal. [email protected]
