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SINGAPORE \u2013 Making sure workers are not left behind amid a technological surge in the transport sector and setting up integrated regional transport systems were among the key issues raised in Parliament on July 7.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four MPs spoke during a six-hour debate on a motion on the Future of Transport, tabled by Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC).<\/p>\n
The motion focused on ways to improve Singapore\u2019s role as a global transport hub<\/span><\/a>, including creating a seamless way to travel across different transport modes in Singapore, deploying autonomous vehicles in areas with transport gaps, as well as building digital infrastructure in the maritime sector.<\/p>\n Tin, who chairs the Transport Government Parliamentary Committee, outlined three key planks \u2013 frontier technologies, international cooperation and infrastructure \u2013 that are critical in ensuring Singapore\u2019s global connectivity.<\/p>\n Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow, Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng and Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling also joined the debate.<\/p>\n Valerie Lee (Pasir Ris-Changi GRC) touched on better maximising opportunities in the east of Singapore \u2013 including Changi Airport\u2019s Terminal 5<\/span><\/a>, Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Changi Airfreight Centre, Changi Business Park and Loyang Industrial Estate \u2013 with stronger air-sea transport connections.<\/p>\n The area is close to the Batam-Bintan-Karimun free trade zone<\/span><\/a>, and there is a chance that the east of Singapore has the potential to become an \u201cintegrated gateway\u201d for aviation and maritime connectivity, in addition to becoming logistics, business and tourism hubs.<\/p>\n Echoing this, Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Changi GRC) proposed transforming Singapore\u2019s eastern corridor into an integrated economic powerhouse.<\/p>\n Edward Chia (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC), deputy chairman of the Transport GPC, proposed a unified sea, air and logistics control tower in Singapore \u2013 to provide a real-time picture of cargo flows across Changi, Tuas and key logistics nodes.<\/p>\n This will allow infrastructural assets \u2013 including Changi Airport Terminal 5 and the Tuas mega port<\/span><\/a>, which will enhance capacity \u2013 to work together intelligently when supported by artificial intelligence, he added.<\/p>\n In a similar vein, Jackson Lam (Nee Soon GRC) said the successful roll-out of a virtual replica of Singapore\u2019s ports can be expanded to include the airport, logistics providers and customs into an integrated digital ecosystem across all three sectors.<\/p>\n Sun, in her speech, said the Government is studying how to best enable seamless air-sea transfers between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, as part of its work on future developments in Changi<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Several Labour MPs spoke on the issue of helping more workers harness new technologies.<\/p>\n Nominated MP Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari said automation, robotics and AI can remove repetitive and physically demanding tasks, allowing experienced workers to move into higher-value roles.<\/p>\n He called for more to be done to equip affected workers with relevant skills to tap new technologies, and to find ways to make these new jobs accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n Yeo Wan Ling (Punggol GRC), who is also NTUC assistant secretary-general, said workers do not want to be left behind amid the digital transformation of the transport sector.<\/p>\n Conversations around job redesign should take place early and involve workers themselves, she added. And visible and credible career pathways should be set up for them to transition to new roles, she said.<\/p>\n Poh Li San (Sembawang West) suggested setting up an electric aircraft manufacturing hub in Singapore, to create more job opportunities and reduce the sector\u2019s carbon footprint.<\/p>\n An electric aircraft is a jet that runs on batteries or electric motors.<\/p>\n Sun, in her response, said such aircraft are not ready for deployment now because it may take time to enter commercial operations. For now, they can only complement aircraft using sustainable jet fuel.<\/p>\n Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang) suggested that Singapore can become a travel gateway for the wider Johor-Singapore-Riau region.<\/p>\n For instance, airport check-in and baggage drop processes could be done in Johor, so that the Changi Airport journey could begin across the Causeway. Following that, cross-border transport services can be arranged to bring travellers straight to Changi Airport, he said.<\/p>\n The same arrangement could apply to Bintan and Batam in Indonesia, said Yip.<\/p>\n Six Workers\u2019 Party MPs spoke during the debate, with suggestions that included ways for Singapore to complement its investments in major transport infrastructure with a stronger push to develop and own digital technologies that underpin global trade.<\/p>\n For instance, Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) said Singapore\u2019s heavy reliance on physical infrastructure, such as Changi Airport\u2019s Terminal 5 and Tuas Port, could leave it vulnerable when global trade patterns evolve.<\/p>\n If the long-planned Northern Sea Route through the Arctic becomes a reality, it could divert maritime traffic away from Singapore, he added.<\/p>\n New long-range aircraft capable of bypassing traditional hub airports like Singapore are also examples of changes that could reduce Singapore\u2019s strategic importance as a transport hub.<\/p>\n Instead, Singapore can become a \u201csovereign digital architect\u201d of global trade by investing more heavily in next-generation supply chain software, such as automated customs clearance platforms and predictive route-management systems, he said.<\/p>\n Dennis Tan (Hougang) said in his speech that Singapore remains heavily dependent on foreign-developed software platforms for critical logistics and transport operations.<\/p>\n He called for Singapore to shift from being \u201can efficient technology adopter to an aggressive platform creator\u201d by developing and exporting its own transport technologies.<\/p>\n Singapore is strengthening its position as a global transport hub, but it is important to look at how these efforts will reshape jobs and impact workers, said Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah (Jalan Besar GRC).<\/p>\n What workers need is better support, as automation continues to transform the aviation and maritime sectors, leading to jobs being redesigned, he said.<\/p>\n A transport hub is only complete because of the people who keep it moving, as infrastructure alone does not make Singapore a global hub, said NMP Tiwari.<\/p>\n He added that the future of transport should not be something Singapore\u2019s workers merely adapt to, but must be a future they can look forward to.<\/p>\n As for autonomous vehicles (AV), Wan Rizal said the technology should be used to reduce commute times for transport workers who have to travel extensively to both ends of Singapore.<\/p>\n Driverless vehicles can help with first- and last-mile connections to Changi, Tuas, ferry terminals and industrial estates, especially in the early and late hours, he added.<\/p>\n Ang Wei Neng (West Coast\u2013Jurong West GRC), who is also chief executive of cab operator Strides Premier, chimed in on AVs, urging the Government to consider the impact on workers in the point-to-point transport sector.<\/p>\n He said the taxi fleet has shrunk to about 12,000 vehicles, while the number of private-hire car drivers has grown to more than 60,000.<\/p>\n If AVs were to replace just 10 per cent of the combined fleet, about 7,000 drivers could be displaced, he said.<\/p>\n Rather than \u201cpitting machines against drivers\u201d in high-demand areas, he urged the Government to deploy AVs in underserved locations such as Tuas, Jurong Island, Sentosa and Mandai.<\/p>\n Mr Ang also called for a realistic approach to retraining.<\/p>\n While some drivers could become safety operators for AV fleets, each controller is expected to oversee up to 15 vehicles, meaning there would not be enough of such jobs for all displaced drivers, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Making sure workers are not left behind amid a technological surge in the transport sector and setting up integrated regional transport systems were…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/67218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Better integration of transport ecosystem<\/h2>\n
Helping workers stay relevant<\/h2>\n
Investment potential<\/h2>\n
Physical infrastructure vs digital infrastructure<\/h2>\n
Jobs and the rise of self-driving vehicles<\/h2>\n
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