Abuse of bus captains on the rise as union looks to expand mental wellness support

Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) provides protection against harassment, stalking, cyberbullying and doxxing, which is the publication of personal information intended to cause distress or facilitate harassment.

In a parliamentary reply earlier this year, the Ministry of Transport said that from 2021 to 2025, an average of about 60 cases were reported annually under POHA involving public transport workers who were harassed by commuters while performing their duties.

The ministry does not track how many of those cases specifically involve allegations of online harassment.

ABUSE CAN STEM FROM MINOR DISPUTES

Transport operators told CNA that incidents of abuse against its employees are not uncommon. 

SBS Transit sees about two to three cases every week, according to its head of bus operations Bernard Goh.

“These cases range from abuse – physical and verbal – and some altercations between passengers on board and drivers on the roads,” he said.

“Such cases can arise from as minor as payment of fares, eating on board (and) passengers who missed their stops.”