<\/p>\nnew bus drivers<\/p>\n
<\/a>. <\/p>\n
Mr Yeo was incentivised to make the move from his previous job selling fire extinguishers because he felt that being a bus driver was more \u201csustainable\u201d as he could continue driving buses even as he grows older.<\/p>\n
The 37-year-old told The Straits Times on March 6 that he was drawn to the job also because of the shift work. <\/p>\n
It allows him to knock off on time to eat dinner with his sons, aged 15 and 11, on some weekday evenings. He normally ends his shift at about 7pm.<\/p>\n
Mr Yeo drives service 807, which operates from Yishun Bus Interchange and loops at Yishun Street 71. He also drives service 851e, which plies the route between Yishun and Outram Park.<\/p>\n
He said his previous job was more stressful as he had a tight daily schedule and needed to travel across the island to his clients\u2019 homes and offices.<\/p>\n
The Singaporean plans to channel the $20,000 towards renovating his HDB Build-To-Order flat when it is ready in about five years. <\/p>\n
Mr Yeo was among nearly 500 Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) who were successfully recruited as bus drivers by SBST since it began offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus in October 2024. <\/p>\n
The sign-on bonus was $10,000 before, according to a job advertisement on SBST\u2019s Facebook page in August 2023. <\/p>\n
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, during a debate on his ministry\u2019s budget in Parliament on March 4, noted that there are \u201cjust not enough\u201d Singaporeans wanting to be bus drivers. <\/p>\n
He said he supported a suggestion to raise the starting salary for bus drivers \u2013 which is now around $3,600, including overtime \u2013 to attract new recruits.<\/p>\n
The authorities are in talks with the bus operators and the National Transport Workers\u2019 Union about this, Mr Siow added.<\/p>\n
The Acting Minister said in February that while bus operators already have sign-on bonuses for local bus drivers, the possibility of adjusting starting salaries had to be looked at. <\/p>\n\n\nSBS Transit bus captain Yeo Zhi Qi was incentivised to make the move from his previous job because he felt that being a bus driver was more \u201csustainable\u201d.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Earlier in October 2025, in his reply to a parliamentary question, Mr Siow said there were about 9,700 bus drivers in Singapore in 2024. <\/p>\n
As at December 2024, 28 per cent of them were Singaporean, 15 per cent were PRs and 57 per cent were foreign work pass holders.<\/p>\n
SBST told ST it saw an 8 per cent increase in local bus driver hires in 2025, compared with 2024. <\/p>\n
The operator noted that the $20,000 is paid regularly in tranches, starting from the completion of training and continuing every six months for the first two years of service \u2013 over which $6,000 would be disbursed. <\/p>\n
Following that, the remaining amount is paid annually until the full sum is fully disbursed over the next three years. <\/p>\n
To qualify for the sign-on bonus, an applicant must be a Singaporean or PR who is at least 21 years old, with a Class 3 or 3A driving licence and at least one year of driving experience. The applicant should also be medically fit to perform operational duties. <\/p>\n
SBST\u2019s sign-on bonus was introduced in 2017 and was $3,000 at the time, with the sum rising over the years.<\/p>\n
It is not the only operator dangling a $20,000 bonus to woo potential local bus drivers, with Go-Ahead Singapore and SMRT Buses doing likewise. <\/p>\n
Go-Ahead Singapore noted a \u201csteady pool\u201d of local residents who expressed interest in joining the company as bus drivers since the introduction of its $20,000 sign-on bonus in November 2025.<\/p>\n
The operator had previously offered a sign-on incentive of $10,000. <\/p>\n
Go-Ahead did not provide recruitment numbers when asked.<\/p>\n
Mr Vincent Gay, deputy managing director at SMRT Buses, said the company has intensified its efforts to attract and retain local bus drivers, including doubling its sign-on bonus to $20,000 from the previous year. <\/p>\n
It was offering a sign-on bonus of $10,000 as at July 2025, based on a job advertisement posted to its Facebook page that month.<\/p>\n
SMRT also did not provide recruitment figures when asked. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Tower Transit Singapore has been offering a $7,200 sign-on bonus since 2023, which is paid in quarterly instalments over two years. <\/p>\n
A spokesman for the operator said: \u201cOur focus is on long-term career sustainability and sign-on bonuses are just one factor in a holistic talent attraction and retention plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked why its sign-on bonus has remained the same since 2023, Tower Transit said it has generally experienced healthy recruitment.<\/p>\n
It said it also makes a point of recognising the previous experience of returning bus drivers when deciding on their remuneration package.<\/p>\n
Based on job listings posted by the various operators, the gross monthly salary of a public bus driver can reach $4,500. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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