At Tower Transit's 10th anniversary carnival, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow stressed that the quality of Singapore's bus services depends entirely on workers, announcing salary and bonus increases for bus captains to attract and retain talent. The event celebrated a decade of Tower Transit's operations and underscored the government's commitment to improving worker well-being as the foundation for a better public transport network.
At Tower Transit's 10th anniversary carnival held at Bulim bus depot, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow emphasized that the quality of bus services in Singapore is fundamentally dependent on the well-being and treatment of workers, particularly bus captains and maintenance staff.
The event, which took place on Saturday, June 27, celebrated a decade since Tower Transit began operations in Singapore in May 2016, marking its growth to over 70 services, 800 buses, and a workforce of approximately 1,800. New staff uniforms were unveiled, and family-friendly activities like magic shows and a bus wash experience were organized to engage the community.
In his address, Siow highlighted that the government's vision extends beyond mere network expansion; it aims for a bus system that prioritizes commuters and, crucially, cares for its workers.
"The system worked, but we wanted more-a bus network that was better connected and more reliable, reaching more corners of Singapore, serving more Singaporeans. We wanted bus companies that not only competed on how well they put commuters first, but more importantly, how well they take care of their workers," he stated.
Reflecting on the sector's evolution, Siow noted that Tower Transit became the first public bus operator to join SBS Transit and SMRT after three decades, introducing competition and raising service standards. To support workers, recent collaborative measures by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU), and the four public bus operators include a $450 monthly salary increase for new bus captains starting January next year and a $2,000 boost to first-year sign-on bonuses.
Siow explained that the sign-on bonus attracts new talent, while the salary adjustment ensures that bus captain roles remain good jobs with fair compensation. He stressed that achieving broader network goals-such as serving HDB estates farther from the city and enhancing service frequencies-relies directly on recruiting and retaining sufficient bus captains. Since 2024, 35 new routes have been introduced or extended, and over 60 services have been improved with additional buses or better frequencies, demonstrating progress.
Looking ahead, Siow reiterated the government's commitment to expanding bus coverage and frequency, but underscored that the sector's success hinges on workforce availability and morale.
"My objective as minister is to better serve Singaporeans who stay in HDB estates further away from the city with buses. We will always want to have more buses and a larger network. But how well we achieve this objective ultimately depends on how many bus captains we have," he said.
The carnival served both as a celebration of Tower Transit's decade-long contributions and a reaffirmation of the partnership between government, operators, and unions to uplift worker welfare as the cornerstone of a resilient, high-quality public transport system in Singapore
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