SINGAPORE: To address the challenges of attracting and retaining new bus captains, the government will fund a S$450 (US$352) per month increase in starting salaries and a S$2,000 increase in sign-on bonuses for new local bus drivers from Jan 1, 2027.

The increased salaries and bonuses will mean that local bus drivers can effectively earn S$600 more per month in their first year of work, which increases their average monthly salaries to more than S$4,000 after including overtime pay, bonuses and allowances.

In addition, public bus operators have also agreed to make a "one-time" salary adjustment of bus captains who are currently in service, so as to manage the relative differences of their pay with the starting salaries, as well as to improve retention and to recognise their contributions.

A "strong pipeline" of bus captains is needed to sustain essential public bus services and deliver enhancements to bus connectivity, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA), National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) and the four public bus operators in a joint statement on Wednesday (Jun 3).

Since July 2024, bus connectivity has been improved under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme, with 33 new or extended bus routes and improvements to over 60 existing services. 

“However, we recognise that bus captains have a challenging job, with shift work being the norm, and the pressures of ferrying passengers safely and punctually through busy roads,” LTA, NTWU and the operators said in the statement.

The workforce is also aging - for every local bus captain recruited, two are leaving the industry due to resignation or retirement.

As a result, the proportion of local bus captains has fallen from 54 per cent in 2021 to 41 per cent in 2025.

In this regard, the bus operators will continue to improve the attractiveness and safety of the bus captain role, the joint statement said.

Measures include shortening the continuous driving time on long bus routes, as well as reducing split-shift assignments, where bus captains drive only the morning and evening peak with an unpaid period in between.

The challenge of hiring local bus drivers is a longstanding one, with operators raising salaries a...