Hallo everyone,
I'm a bus driver, currently working in a big European city.
I've been to S'pore a couple of times and I like it so much that I'd want to move there permanently.
I've seen on the SBS website that they are currently recruiting Bus Captains.
My question to you Singaporeans:
How often do you see Bus Captains of European/caucasian descent in Singapore, if at all?
Would you rather encourage or discourage me from applying for a position as a Bus Captain with SBS Transit?
All honest answers welcome lah!
Thanks to all and
Greetings to the Tropical City of Excellence!!
its up to you to decide... !and dont regret your decision
there was this swiss guy on service 171 the last time .....
The climate in Europe is much more better than Singapore.
It's all up to you!
how much are you earning in europe?
It very rare to see caucasians working as bus captains in Singapore as Singapore employers seems to have a caucasian fetish, most caucasians can get very good jobs in Singapore even though they are not qualified.
On the other hand, if you are really interested to be a bus captain and is worried about your chances of getting the job with SBS, dont worry as Singapore has a very good policy towards foreign talents. Coupled with you being a caucasian, the chances are really very good.
With that said, Singapore is a very tightly controlled and bias society if you belong to the lower or middle class. Make sure you do not have any criminal records. You would not be able to get a work permit if you have any records be it serious crimes or just civil disobedience. The employers are allowed to ask if you have any criminal records.
There is no free speech, the unions side with the government/employers most of the time and the media is controlled by the govenrment.
On the plus side, Singapore has low crime rate, good education system and good medical care but Singapore's government had made it very clear that Singapore is not a welfare state. This means no money, no service no matter how much help you need.
You got a point there chibet,especially on the bias paragraph..its true.Sometimes its among us that makes thing more complicated......
we don't see any bus captains of caucasian descent at all. Just some thoughts.
Singaporeans are not as friendly as the people in Europe. When I was in a UK town people would thank the bus driver and say good morning. You get people who barge up the bus here.
Some bus routes are long (1 - 2 hrs each run) and even though most buses are air-conditioned the heat and humidity can really tire you out. Traffic is bad in many places and so you really need the stamina to concentrate. As public transport utilization here is high, you'll see lots of people every day!
If you don't come from England you will have to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.
You will have to start work very early (4am - 5 am) or end very late (past 12 midnight). Check the first bus and last-bus timings on the SBS transit website. Bus depots (where the buses are stabled at the end of the day) are always located in non-residential areas, but there is company transport.
Your wages will be sufficient but not fantastic. Living costs have been increasing in Singapore and renting a decent room can take a good portion of your monthly pay. But of course, there are ways to manage :)
Other posts here have mentioned the "caucasian fetish". Singapore is not as multi-cultural as London (for example), and due to a lingering colonial mindset, westerners are still seen by many people to be of "higher quality" (if you get what i mean). You'll certainly attract the interest of the local press.
Nevertheless, do give it a try if you are interested!
I remember when 1688K was first on Svc 7, it was driven by a caucasian.
Like what someone has mentioned, there was also a caucasian in TIBS.
Originally posted by Chauffeur:Hallo everyone,
I'm a bus driver, currently working in a big European city.
....
All honest answers welcome lah!
Thanks to all and
Greetings to the Tropical City of Excellence!!
sure or not???? working in a big European city.....
the climate here can kill u
231 got one also. he looks eurasian though.
I have to say that I have never seen a Caucasian Bus Driver in Singapore.
However, it would be nice to see a Caucasian bus driver...i would encourage anyone to work as a bus driver as long as he is willing to. Oh, and has to be friendly too...
Thank you all very much for your replies, I found them helpful!
how much are you earning in europe?
Here, a full time bus driver might earn about 17,000 Euros (36,000 S$) per year, more if married.
If you don't come from England you will have to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.
Yes, I will have to get used to that ... Shouldn't be too difficult.
I have also never seen a caucasian Bus Captain whenever I was in Singapore, but I might give it a shot anyway.
I'm not worried about 'free speech'-issues, because the main stream media is controlled everywhere in the world by big corporations. And as for government control - well, to maintain a certain quality of life, everyone has to stick to certain rules, right?
For instance, where I live, ALL, really ALL windows of buses and public trains are vandalised by scratchings and/or grafitti! I don't really like that kind of 'freedom' and wouldn't mind a little more government control here.
Anyway, thanks again for your feedback and
Greetings to the Tropical City of Excellence!!
Originally posted by Chauffeur:Thank you all very much for your replies, I found them helpful!
Here, a full time bus driver might earn about 17,000 Euros (36,000 S$) per year, more if married.
Yes, I will have to get used to that ... Shouldn't be too difficult.
I have also never seen a caucasian Bus Captain whenever I was in Singapore, but I might give it a shot anyway.
I'm not worried about 'free speech'-issues, because the main stream media is controlled everywhere in the world by big corporations. And as for government control - well, to maintain a certain quality of life, everyone has to stick to certain rules, right?
For instance, where I live, ALL, really ALL windows of buses and public trains are vandalised by scratchings and/or grafitti! I don't really like that kind of 'freedom' and wouldn't mind a little more government control here.
Anyway, thanks again for your feedback and
Greetings to the Tropical City of Excellence!!
May i know what kind of buses do u drive there? models?
Do u have any experience driving 80% of the time in congested traffic?Most part of Singapore are rather crammed with cars depending on location and time of the day.
Then,u have to try squeezing out of the bus bay(a small bay-like lane for bus stops) without caring for other motorists because not all people want to give way.
Originally posted by SBS9888Y:231 got one also. he looks eurasian though.
He's Indian.
I have a classmate whose dad is working as standby BC at WLDEP. A standby will have to report to work at the time they are posted to be on standby. If all other BC report to work and no one wants you to driver charters, then you can spend all your 8 hours of work at WLDEP wandering and relaxing around. At the end of the day, you still earn your 'bread'; $20.
For regular BCs, they must keep to a certain service. This can make certain BCs who love to 'try-try' service to become bored. A regular shift spans 8 - 10 hours. There are a couple of shifts to take note here.
AM (A for SBST) Shift: Shift starts at depot where you have to thaw out the bus and work in the morning. Most start work at 4 - 5 am and regularly ends from 1 pm - 3 pm, depending on your work order.
PM (P for SBST) Shift: Shift starts at the Terminal stated in your work order. Usually, the A shift BCs will hand the keys over to you to keep the service running till end of operations. P shift BCs report by 1 - 3 pm, depending on work order.
A/P buses can be found on ALL bus services, mainly feeder buses or shuttle services.
Split Shift (S for SBST): Shift starts in the morning as same as a regular AM Shift BC but here's the twist. You will only work untill 9 - 11 am. But that dosen't call a day. You will go for a 'swing' break where you can rest at depot or go home. Report back to depot in the afternoon, usually 3 - 5 pm to collect your bus and do service till 6:30 - 8 pm. depending on your work order. This may be the most inconvient shift to me.
Tea Shift (T for SBST): I not sure whether this is practiced by SMRT but SBST do practiced this shift. Same as Split shift but a slight twist; you will work more in the afternoon. You will report usually at 5 - 6 am and thaw out the bus from depot. You will work till 9 - 10 am depending on work order and go for your swing break. You will have to report back to depot at 12 - 1 pm to thaw out the bus and work till 6 - 8 pm, depending on work order.
Spilt Shift and Tea Shift are common on city routes and those with high volume passenger traffic, which includes School Services and major town services.
Crossover: Some work orders require you to switch to another service and do a round or two before switching back to your original service. This is praticed by ALL Prenium Services and some feeder routes where a S-Shift bus may not come neccesary. These services include those which pass by alot of neighbourhood schools in the early morning (6-7 am).
This is all I can help.
Originally posted by Scania:He's Indian.
indian? he doesnt look anything like it.
Originally posted by tintinspartan:Tea Shift (T for SBST): I not sure whether this is practiced by SMRT but SBST do practiced this shift. Same as Split shift but a slight twist; you will work more in the afternoon. You will report usually at 5 - 6 am and thaw out the bus from depot. You will work till 9 - 10 am depending on work order and go for your swing break. You will have to report back to depot at 12 - 1 pm to thaw out the bus and work till 6 - 8 pm, depending on work order.
WRONG WRONG WRONG. The shift described above is not "Tea" shift. The above shift described is E shift for "Extended", SMRT terminology uses the S2 block of numbers for this kind of duty. S1 is the regular split shift.
In any case the letter T does not denote "Tea". I wonder where you got the whole notion of T standing for tea. T stands for "Three-Quarter Shift". SBST timecards use the letter T, SMRT ones use TQ.
Originally posted by tintinspartan:I have a classmate whose dad is working as standby BC at WLDEP. A standby will have to report to work at the time they are posted to be on standby. If all other BC report to work and no one wants you to driver charters, then you can spend all your 8 hours of work at WLDEP wandering and relaxing around. At the end of the day, you still earn your 'bread'; $20.
For regular BCs, they must keep to a certain service. This can make certain BCs who love to 'try-try' service to become bored. A regular shift spans 8 - 10 hours. There are a couple of shifts to take note here.
AM (A for SBST) Shift: Shift starts at depot where you have to thaw out the bus and work in the morning. Most start work at 4 - 5 am and regularly ends from 1 pm - 3 pm, depending on your work order.
PM (P for SBST) Shift: Shift starts at the Terminal stated in your work order. Usually, the A shift BCs will hand the keys over to you to keep the service running till end of operations. P shift BCs report by 1 - 3 pm, depending on work order.
A/P buses can be found on ALL bus services, mainly feeder buses or shuttle services.
Split Shift (S for SBST): Shift starts in the morning as same as a regular AM Shift BC but here's the twist. You will only work untill 9 - 11 am. But that dosen't call a day. You will go for a 'swing' break where you can rest at depot or go home. Report back to depot in the afternoon, usually 3 - 5 pm to collect your bus and do service till 6:30 - 8 pm. depending on your work order. This may be the most inconvient shift to me.
Tea Shift (T for SBST): I not sure whether this is practiced by SMRT but SBST do practiced this shift. Same as Split shift but a slight twist; you will work more in the afternoon. You will report usually at 5 - 6 am and thaw out the bus from depot. You will work till 9 - 10 am depending on work order and go for your swing break. You will have to report back to depot at 12 - 1 pm to thaw out the bus and work till 6 - 8 pm, depending on work order.
Spilt Shift and Tea Shift are common on city routes and those with high volume passenger traffic, which includes School Services and major town services.
Crossover: Some work orders require you to switch to another service and do a round or two before switching back to your original service. This is praticed by ALL Prenium Services and some feeder routes where a S-Shift bus may not come neccesary. These services include those which pass by alot of neighbourhood schools in the early morning (6-7 am).
This is all I can help.
Regular shift spans 8h-11h 59min.
A/P changeover timeframe lasts between 1230-1630hrs. SMRT practices till 1650hrs.
S shift got 2 types.. the Restricted (E / S2) and Unrestricted (S / S1) type. The restriction is the Swing time
E/S2 shifts have to return the bus to depot by 0959hrs regardless of your start time in the morning (based on timesheet). The afternoon part the driver may start from as early as 1059hrs till 1300hrs. They will have a Meal break in the mid-late afternoon. The time restriction here is the 10am rule.
S/S1 shifts have no time restriction on the time you bring the bus back to the depot. Some as early as 0930hrs, some as late as 1315hrs. and of course the Swing break ranges between 2.5hrs and 5.5hrs.
I would say non-basic services do not have to strictly adhere to the time restrictions because of the nature (operating hours) of the service.
tintin your Tea Shift is E/S2 la
There's a TQ/T shift.. Basic ruling is you start early, you end early. This means the time range is very wide.. Here are some examples
a) Start as early as an A shift except it ends later than 1630hrs.
b) Starts at 8-9am and end between 6-8pm.
c) Starts at 10-11am and end between 8-10pm (mostly found on non-basic services)
Some eurasians do look like caucasian though....So far i've seen chinaman,hong kongman,malaysiaman,vietnamman spiderman and superman.
Originally posted by carbikebus:Some eurasians do look like caucasian though....So far i've seen chinaman,hong kongman,malaysiaman,vietnamman spiderman and superman.
add on i saw batman!