SINGAPORE: The public bus industry is looking to increase the hiring of local workers, with the aim of employing 1,200 Singaporean bus drivers in 2020, said Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan on Thursday .
This would result in a 14 per cent increase in the bus driver workforce, Mr Khaw said, noting that the attrition rate among bus drivers is typically less than 10 per cent every year. National Transport Workers’ Union executive secretary Melvin Yong, who also attended the dialogue session, said that more locals have joined as bus captains since the 2016 introduction of the bus contracting model, where buses and other related infrastructure came under government ownership.
In an interview with CNA later on Thursday, Mr Khaw said other sectors in the public transport network will also need to ramp up hiring, noting that the MRT network is set to expand further in the coming years.