Number of Female Bus Captains Employed by Public Bus Operators

7 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the breakdown in numbers of female bus captains currently employed by the four public bus operators; and (b) whether LTA has any plans to work with the public bus operators to recruit more women to join the bus captain profession, especially those seeking to re-enter the workforce.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The four public bus operators currently employ 575 female bus captains, of whom 404 are in SBS Transit, 142 in SMRT Corporation, 26 in Tower Transit Singapore, and three in Go-Ahead Singapore. They make up about 6% of the total number of bus captains.

LTA has been working with the operators to recruit more local bus captains, including women. For example, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation have introduced part-time employment schemes which can appeal to those who need some work schedule flexibility because of family commitments. Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore offer female employees up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. Tower Transit Singapore also offers female employees an enhanced maternity benefit of $300 to $700 annually, as well as additional childcare leave.