SINGAPORE — Amid the long-running challenges of wooing jobseekers to the bus industry, UK-based bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore is going further than its competitors — including SBS Transit (SBST) and SMRT — in the incentives it is offering potential hires.

These include free public transport and flexible benefits that can be used for wellness and leisure purposes, shared the operator today (Feb 15), which beat nine other bidders to clinch the contract to operate the Loyang package of bus routes. The company aims to hire approximately 700 bus captains for its 25 routes across Changi, Pasir Ris, Punggol and Loyang by the third quarter of this year. Recruitment will start this month.

Bus captains hired by Go-Ahead Singapore will be given an annual allowance that can be used on a range of health and wellness, learning and development, and leisure programmes. New bus captains will be given S$430, while captains with more than a decade of experience will be given S$830.

Go-Ahead Singapore is also working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to offer the best way for employees to have access to free transport on buses and MRT. “Our employment package (that we) have put together is very attractive…we are in the east of Singapore, so we can attract the locals there,” said managing director of Go-Ahead Singapore Nigel Wood at a press conference today, where the operator also signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU).

A Singaporean bus captain will get basic starting wages of S$1,865 a month and up to S$3,000 a month if they work overtime. Experienced bus captains will be given a S$2,000 sign-on bonus. Bus captains who work with the company for at least 14 months, will be given a one-time S$1,000 retention bonus.

There will also be bonus payments for bus captains based on performance in areas relating to providing safe, reliable, and more comfortable bus journeys. Drivers will be evaluated on quantitative metrics as well as qualitative factors.

The basic starting wages offered are in line with what fellow new entrant Tower Transit is offering, and slightly higher than what SBST offers — the basic starting pay of a Singaporean bus captain at SBST is S$1,775, before allowances and incentives.

When contacted, SMRT did not reveal how much it pays its bus captains, only that remuneration was “comparable” with the market, taking into account performance incentives and allowances such as over-time. In December, SMRT announced it was looking to recruit 700 more staff — including bus captains — and among the perks offered was a sign-on bonus worth S$2,000 for drivers or trainers hired between Dec 11 and April 1.

Like Tower Transit’s drivers, Go-Ahead bus drivers will also not be required to carry out duties such as refuelling, parking or cleaning the buses, unlike SBST and SMRT.

Female employees who are covered under the Child Development Co-Savings Act will get 6.5 months (26 weeks) of paid maternity leave, while those who are not covered under the Act will be given 16 weeks of maternity leave. All employees will also be given two days of eldercare leave a year.

Mr Wood said even before today, the company had already received more than 100 bus captain applications from candidates who approached them.

As of December last year, Tower Transit had recruited about 625 bus drivers, or about 80 per cent of the 750 positions the company aims to fill.

About 400 bus captains are affected by the transfer of the Loyang routes from SBST to Go-Ahead. Under guidelines issued by the Public Transport Tripartite Committee, Go-Ahead must offer the affected employees a job with terms that at least match what employees were enjoying before the transition. Affected staff must also be allowed to choose whether they wish to join the new operator or be redeployed by their current employer.

NTWU executive secretary Melvin Yong said they will be working closely with companies to engage affected employees and “address any queries or concerns pertaining to the employment package from Go-Ahead.” From Wednesday (Feb 17), Go-Ahead will conduct briefing sessions on the company’s employment packages.

Bus drivers TODAY spoke to at Pasir Ris bus interchange today said they have been told of the briefing. Asked if he would consider jumping ship, a Singaporean bus driver who declined to be named said in Mandarin: “Now, it is still too early to tell and decide.”

A Malaysian bus driver who gave his name as Baseer felt likewise. “I want to go for briefing first and decide,” said the 27-year-old, who has been working for SBST for two and a half years said

Another Malaysian bus driver, who gave his name as Kevin, was open to the move. “I’m interested, there’s higher pay and free transport,” said the 24-year-old who has been working for SBST for the past eight months.