PUBLISHED ONMarch 05, 2025 9:29 AMByKhoo Yi-HangThe Ministry of Transport (MOT) is committed to ensure that new bus routes will not be longer than two hours as per the recommendation from the Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce, Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai said during the Committee of Supply debate in Parliament on Wednesday (March 5).
The Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce was formed in July 2024 to determine how road safety can be improved in relation to public buses.
Speaking on road safety, Murali cautioned that bus runtimes have to be scheduled correctly lest bus captains will feel the pressure to stay on schedule.
The runtime is the total time taken for a bus captain to complete a route, Murali explained.
"Every day, four million trips are made on our public buses by commuters. At the peak, about 6,000 public buses ply our roads.
"A system at this scale — which includes almost 10,000 bus captains — requires sustained and unceasing effort to maintain a strong safety record."
He added: "We have some routes with scheduled run times exceeding two hours, and bus captains gave us feedback that such prolonged period of continuous driving can cause discomfort for them... and could cause lapses in concentration."
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is committed to not adding more bus routes with scheduled run times exceeding two hours, Murali stated.
LTA and bus operators will also review existing bus services with long run times to see how they can be made more manageable.
He also announced an "industry-wide training point system" to track the number of training points bus captains obtain each year in relation to a baseline level of continuing training.
"This ensures all bus captains receive the necessary training to refresh their skills and keep up to date with best practices," Murali said, adding that the Singapore Bus Academy will also improve its training offerings.
This is on top of existing technology to help keep bus captains alert — some buses are now equipped with 360-degree collision warning, anti-fatigue and camera mirror systems.
These technologies help to improve the situational awareness of bus captains, Murali stated.
More technologies may be on the way as well, as the Taskforce also recommended safety features such as better torque management, audio safety announcements onboard buses and an enhanced rear electronic display system.
The Government is also exploring if the number of display units in the driving cabin can be reduced to prevent the driver from getting overwhelmed.
Pilots will be conducted to see if it is possible to add these technologies into the existing fleet and make these technologies a requirement for upcoming bus purchases.
Tower Transit bus captain Mohammed Syazwan Bin Mohammed Salim has experienced first-hand how anti-fatigue systems can enhance road safety.
According to Murali, Syazwan was prompted by the anti-fatigue system the moment he yawned, which helped him maintain alertness while driving, thereby ensuring the safety of those on board the bus.
Speaking with AsiaOne, the 28-year-old, who works on different routes every day, shared that the anti-fatigue system let out a sharp beep when he yawned, which was loud enough to be heard from the seat behind him.
Syazwan, who also drives the longer routes which can take up to three hours, said that he - like other bus drivers - tries his best not to trigger the system.
He also ensures that he stays awake by getting adequate sleep the night before and uses a small bottle to spray water on his face if he feels tired while driving.
"It makes me a bit more conscious because I don't want my passengers to hear these warnings or beeping sounds," he said.
Although he finds the system a tad annoying, he feels that it is a "blessing in disguise."
"To not trigger it would be a good thing... it's a deterrence," he said.
Syazwan is also looking forward to the possibility of scheduling run times that do not exceed two hours.
"It will definitely give us a little bit more layover time which we can use to refresh ourselves... because the longer we are on the road, the more we tend to make minor mistakes," said the Singaporean. "The shorter the run time, the better."
Murali also highlighted the impact road works have on motorists, bus captains included.
Where there are improperly placed barriers or inexperienced road marshals not providing proper guidance, bus captains face difficulty manoeuvring their vehicles through affected stretches, he said.
"To address this issue, LTA will work with relevant agencies to upskill workers responsible for managing traffic during road works, to make sure that contractors are able to comply with regulations," he stated.
"We will also review the penalty framework, to take a tougher stance against contractors who do not comply, and cause obstructions."
More details on implementation and other recommendations by the Taskforce will be addressed in the future, he said.
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