New scheme to better protect parents who pre-pay for school bus services

SINGAPORE – School bus operators serving more than half the primary schools here have signed up for a new accreditation scheme that will offer parents better protection of prepayments made.

The scheme, launched on Monday (Sept 25) by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and the Singapore School Transport Association (SSTA), will require accredited operators to purchase a S$300,000 performance guarantee bond.

Consumers will be entitled to recover the unused portion of their prepayments via an insurance payout, if the accredited operator shuts down.

Parents currently pay up to several months’ fees in advance to school-bus providers. Consumers who have filed complaints with Case since 2014 reported paying S$80 to S$1,600 in advance, depending on the duration of the contracts signed, said a Case spokesperson.

Case received 22 complaints involving school bus transport services from January 2014 to August this year.

The complaints included requests for a refund after bus services were terminated, unsatisfactory service, and price increases.

Twenty-two of about 1,200 SSTA members are in the process of being accredited, said Case president Lim Biow Chuan and SSTA executive council chairman Wong Ann Lin on Monday. The operators include Annwat, AZ Bus, Bedok Transport, Ren Quan and STS Transport Management. Mr Lim urged more to come on board to set themselves apart as “consumer-friendly bus operators”.

Accredited operators must commit to ethical and transparent pricing tactics, and offer consumers a cooling-off period of five days from the date of a signed agreement. Their staff must undergo at least 40 hours of training to meet satisfactory service standards and use a standard contract template approved by Case and the SSTA. Operators must also have proper dispute resolution procedures.

The CaseTrust accreditation mark is valid for four years.

Mr Wong said the scheme signified its determination to provide better services to consumers. It will boost the association’s professional status and give greater confidence to the public, he said.

Monday's announcement comes nearly two years after both organisations signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an accreditation scheme. The idea came about in 2015 after school bus operator Sindoz Group left parents and students from at least five schools in the lurch after collecting at least S$50,000 in fees.

LIST OF SCHOOL BUS SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT WILL BE ACCREDITED UNDER THE CASETRUST-SSTA JOINT ACCREDITATION SCHEME
1. Annway Pte Ltd
2. AZ Bus Pte Ltd
3. Bedok Transport Pte Ltd
4. BT & Tan Transport Pte Ltd
5. Chang Cheng Pte Ltd
6. HDT Singapore Holding Pte Ltd
7. Hock School Bus Service
8. Hui Leong Bus Transport Services
9. Jed Bus Transport
10. Johnson Transport & Trading Pte Ltd
11. Kurnia Transport (S) Pte Ltd
12. Loh Gim Chong Transport
13. Promisedland Transportation Service
14. Rae Transport Services
15. Ren Quan Transport
16. Ric Tat Transport Service
17. San Hai Bus Transport Services
18. Sinbus (S) Transport Services
19. Sky Island Transport & Trading
20. SSTA Pte Ltd
21. STS Transport Management Pte Ltd
22. Sun-Gee Travel