Local Bus driver pay and the implications

[Kopites]

5K with allowance why not? Can maintain a small 800cc car.

but are you willing to work shift? Of course to avoid wifey nagging. She is ageing. [

willing to drive during public holiday? Of course...no more MIL visit on public holiday

when CNY or major holiday come, you dont get to go on leave as these are reserve for the FW where most block leave to go back home and celebrate??

 

you can call me bluff, but why dont you go and check it out yourself. i do and i get the reply for their salary and looking at how my aunty and uncle (who have 3 kids) lifestlye, i dont think its possible if their pay is only 1.5K each

 

fyi, private bus driver can earn even more if they are willing to drive more route.

 

Edited April 5, 2012 by Kopites

[Kopites]

how to make drivers take pride in their work, or at least feel shiok about their job once in a while?

 

maybe after each trip, they should be allowed to enjoy a 5min 'massage' in the drivers' rest room? either they massage each other, or get xmm to provide the quickie service (company-paid)? this is how to keep morale high for the rest of the day... (sorry for OT, but its related also)

 

 

Wonder anyone ever come across chio bus captain like those pin up gal from police, bank, departmental store etc.

[Ngck]

TS you know they got driving allowance for per trip or not?? those added in easily their pay become 3 to 5 K liao.

 

my aunty and uncle happen to drive for Tibs

 

 

wah... i didn't know bus drivers earn so much...

 

but sometimes when i go home 5am and i see these bus drivers waiting for their rides to the interchange, i really respect them.

 

i know they could not be possibly just earning 1350 (knn my first job pay). But i thought its more around the 2k+ range.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Ngck

[Kopites]

Great idea.

 

After we get the jobs,

 

we will put your suggestion in the employee suggestion scheme

 

to increase safety at work.

 

The 5 min massage will have great health benefits.

 

 

 

Don't day dream. It probably 5min foot massage on those massage chair.

[Ngck]

5K with allowance why not?

but are you willing to work shift?

willing to drive during public holiday?

when CNY or major holiday come, you dont get to go on leave as these are reserve for the FW where most block leave to go back home and celebrate??

 

you can call me bluff, but why dont you go and check it out yourself. i do and i get the reply for their salary and looking at how my aunty and uncle (who have 3 kids) lifestlye, i dont think its possible if their pay is only 1.5K each

 

fyi, private bus driver can earn even more if they are willing to drive more route.

 

 

few days ago sat on a taxi, he just convert from private bus to taxi... he kpkb about private bus work timing... and he say alot of ppl buay tahan quit.

 

and he not lazy type. he said he 放生 most of his friends (who always jio him to lim kopi) to concentrate to drive taxi more.

[Joseph22]

few days ago sat on a taxi, he just convert from private bus to taxi... he kpkb about private bus work timing... and he say alot of ppl buay tahan quit.

 

and he not lazy type. he said he 放生 most of his friends (who always jio him to lim kopi) to concentrate to drive taxi more.

of course difficult. you have to fetch them to work. some start as early at 5am. then ppl knock off you still have to send them back.. some end around 8pm. some even later.

 

[Tjkbeluga]

Not sure if they suceeded but our local drivers wanted their basic pay raised to $1500. I think this is very reasonable since their salary is very low even after the increment. But then if these people had brains, they might as well drive a taxi. A cabby once told me rather truthfully he can make $3000 a month.

 

So even if SBS increased salary to $1500, it will realistically still have trouble attracting locals. From the video below, a certain MIW loser emphasized "sustainable". Reading between the lines, this means SBS need a foreign legion to fill up their manpower requirements and probably "improve the bottomline" as well. Problem is do these people actually have driving experience and how familiar are they with local road conditions?

 

Do you find it disturbing that a service so critical needs to be privatized so someone can save money but the commercial entity can't even pay enough to attract decent people?

 

This bus driver salary issue brings up a whole lot of other worms about our economy if you look deeper.

 

What is so surprising? Health sector is also privatised, what more about transport?

[KARTer]

Don't day dream. It probably 5min foot massage on those massage chair.

Seriously, why not provide massage chairs in drivers' rest room at the terminal.... a re-freshed driver can better concentrate in his driving after the 5min massage chair 'treatment'!!

[KARTer]

If i am to retire at 50, 60 or even 70 i don't mind to be a bus captain. Everyday can be XMM chit chat. The best is to ply along sim ave road.

that route will be popular with bus drivers... management will ask the drivers to bid (just like COE bidding) and the winner will be assigned to drive there... how much will you bid?

[Royho1979]

i dont have to take time to verify my claim because information from relative in TIBS if you dont believe then dont believe lah.

 

Anyway if private bus company are paying around 2.8K per month. why you think its not possible for tibs and SMRT to pay even more?

 

http://www.stjobs.sg/bus-driver-job/view-job/551094

 

If you cant be bothered to verify your claim why be so insistence that it is accepted as a fact? Also you quoted 3-5k. In case you did not notice, 5 k is a long way from 2.8k. Why do you think it is possible for SMRT and TIBs to pay their driver more than what graduates get? And if they are, why are all the Poly grads not queuing up to be a bus driver?

 

Also there are many others who posted anecdotal evidence that pay isnt that high. Theirs is far more convincing. If you cant be bothered to get facts then be a gentleman and let this point pass. I am keen to know what is real too..

[Royho1979]

Anyway this news is in 2010. First year salary around 1.9K per month in their first year employment.

 

what so surpise that my aunty who work for nearly 10 years with TIBS is earning between 3~5K?

 

 

[/i]

 

Dude you posted an evidence that is against your claim and insist you are right? Starting pay 1.9 today after ten years 3k is possible. 4K maybe. 5k leh? Have you not read that middle income and lower income groups have stagnated in the past 10 years? Are bus drivers high income earners? If they are there should be plenty of locals to fight for these posiions. No?

 

Anyway what is 3-5k? Its a 2k range that is even bigger than your 1.9k starting pay you quoted. Your relative obviously dun trust you to give you something more precise yet somehow your trust them unconditionally and we are supposed to take your words as it is.

 

 

[Jamesc]

Don't day dream. It probably 5min foot massage on those massage chair.

Alamak machine ah?

 

I prefer the human touch.

 

[Jamesc]

If i am to retire at 50, 60 or even 70 i don't mind to be a bus captain. Everyday can be XMM chit chat. The best is to ply along sim ave road.

I think TIBS bus no 61 goes there.

 

My fren tell me one, I never go Geylang everyday type.

 

We chope this route.

 

Edited April 6, 2012 by Jamesc

[Lala81]

i think TS and all have to be realistic

- what are the qualifications needed to be bus driver/taxi driver/pte bus driver/delivery van driver?

 

Is driving a skilled job? compared to say a plumber or electrician or technician?

Answer is NO.

Is it an important job still in everyday society? YES

 

I believe most poly students starting pay can be like around 1.8k to ? ~ 3k/mth?

If your normal skilled job holders (blue collar jobs such as listed above) are not even earning >3k. Maybe low 2k to 3k per mth.

Would i expect my bus drivers to have a higher salary than the above?

 

I think the focus on cleaning companies as recently highlighted in ST is a valid concern cos these are the truly underprivileged and are earning sub 1k salaries. or just past 1k.

Improving bus driver salaries as with improving all lower-mid income families salaries are important.

But honestly speaking, i suspect most singaporeans don't want to do it cos of the shift work rather than the salary.

[Jamesc]

I think the bus captian has a job with a great responsibility.

 

He is directly responsible for the lives of 36 seated and 24 standing passangers.

 

And all the other thousands of people on the road.

 

Hence with this kind of responsibility

 

what is a 3 - 5k salary?

 

[Lala81]

I think the bus captian has a job with a great responsibility.

 

He is directly responsible for the lives of 36 seated and 24 standing passangers.

 

And all the other thousands of people on the road.

 

Hence with this kind of responsibility

 

what is a 3 - 5k salary?

 

 

so taxi driver responsible for 4 passenger safety should earn much less?

[Lala81]

The implication is that if we want to boost all the salaries of the lower income, we as a society have to accept paying more for services.

Some will agree, some will disagree.

 

It's like how going to some toilets in some countries will cost several dollars instead of 20cents.

Or have hardly any public toilets like in new york.

[Yoongf]

Why does increasing drivers' salary equate to increasing fare prices? Why can't the difference come from the profit made by bus companies and paid to their shareholders?

In the first place, this is a public transport and should be geared towards providing basic essential services at affordable prices SAFELY, instead of being privatized and pay their shareholders.

 

Staff cost is 305Mil, Profit is 36Mil. Even if this is operated as a social enterprise, and profit is rebated back to staff, that is not going to improve the driver salary much.

 

http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/download/SBST_fullyear2011.pdf

 

The crux of the issue is that this is a highly labour intensive business, which can only be resolved automation, like driverless LRT trains, and massive use of travellators. For the long term, Sg should build townships that are walking friendly, and not space them out with cars seemingly to be the standard mode of transport.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Yoongf