Life as a Bus Captain
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Originally posted by ngjy22:
Wah, like that win liao, it's another alternative for those who quit sec sch to earn such amount of money. Other jobs that require higher education standards must be 4k 5k liao, if being a BC is that much liao
LOL,one more,20 years old and above with class 3 license...being a BC is quite tiring,be a starter??
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Ok...so it's shift work... analogous to my guard duty stint in my army camp...
$3000 a month? That's a steal, given the current economic crisis...
at least 1 stroke. everyday OT plus shua. do all off days. can hit 3.3k exclude cpf. drive super. do more s shift.
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Ok... more or less..everyone agrees that working style is shift work.
Now...the question is.... do bus drivers get the freedom to choose which bus service they want to handle during their shift? Or are the bus services rotated among the bus drivers each month or stg? Do they drive the same bus service throughout the entire 8 hour shift or stg?
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Ok... more or less..everyone agrees that working style is shift work.
Now...the question is.... do bus drivers get the freedom to choose which bus service they want to handle during their shift? Or are the bus services rotated among the bus drivers each month or stg? Do they drive the same bus service throughout the entire 8 hour shift or stg?
of cuz they drive the same service throughout the 8 hours.
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Ok... more or less..everyone agrees that working style is shift work.
Now...the question is....
1) do bus drivers get the freedom to choose which bus service they want to handle during their shift?
2)Or are the bus services rotated among the bus drivers each month or stg?
3)they drive the same bus service throughout the entire 8 hour shift or stg?
1) No2) Depends. Most services don't, but service 900/901 SLs do rotate once every few weeks. This week appear on 900, later the next week on 901, and it seems that there is no fixed pattern to it. SLs may be able to drive other services along the way if they are asked to do it by the depot starter. Explains why sometimes SLs may be doing different services. I remembered once the service rep of 900/901 was driving TIB1038T on 856 and another instance on TIB1191H on 856 too. Another time was a service 900/901 SL driving TIB672T on 966 sometime back before the redeployments
3) Depends again. If the timesheet requires a xover, they will do different services in the 8 hour shift (like TIB1225U requiring the SL to drive a trip of 911 (Woodlands St 81, 82, 83) before going to 963)
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Ok... more or less..everyone agrees that working style is shift work.
Now...the question is.... do bus drivers get the freedom to choose which bus service they want to handle during their shift? Or are the bus services rotated among the bus drivers each month or stg? Do they drive the same bus service throughout the entire 8 hour shift or stg?
SMRT style is Block + 1 every Sunday. -
Originally posted by nenepokey:
of cuz they drive the same service throughout the 8 hours.
If that's the case.. life would be pretty boring... Fancy...say driving service 51.. an average 2.5 hours ride.....throughout the 8 hour shift for months and years would be mundane.
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Would the bus company allocate a bus service that plies somewhere near your residence or from a depot closer to where you stay?... Or do they randomly allocate a bus service just like that?
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Would the bus company allocate a bus service that plies somewhere near your residence or from a depot closer to where you stay?... Or do they randomly allocate a bus service just like that?
Of course you would report to a depot which is near to ur house. As for bus services, they will choose for u.
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Ok... more or less..everyone agrees that working style is shift work.
Now...the question is.... do bus drivers get the freedom to choose which bus service they want to handle during their shift? Or are the bus services rotated among the bus drivers each month or stg? Do they drive the same bus service throughout the entire 8 hour shift or stg?
There are drivers out there who has been driving a particular route for god-knows-how-many-years.
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Originally posted by TIB1224Y:
SMRT veteran can earn like 2000 per month, if work 6 days on average...
Uncle who drives 1224 gets about 1100-1200 per three weeks, work average 5.5 days per week per month...
If taking one month to have 4.5 weeks, that is about 1800.
Seldom heard BC earn to reach 3K...
There are quite a number of BCs out there who are earning 3K/mth.
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Originally posted by sBs_boy:
Of course you would report to a depot which is near to ur house. As for bus services, they will choose for u.
There are numerous cases of execptions :). Mainly because of a shortage of BCs in a particular depot. But still in the same district. (As according to SLAMaps. Not SBS Transit) :)
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Hi, as you know, SBST and SMRT are having shortage of drivers at the moment. Many people have been complaining of irregular bus frequencies, long waiting times and sometimes crowded buses.
Hence, it does come to my mind that one day, some locals might consider being bus drivers. So, are there any bus drivers around who are keen to share their experiences?
I have a few qns, currently, pertaining to the roles of bus captains.
1) Is there such a thing as a 'part-time' bus driver?
2) What is the average salary like (just a very rough one will do)?
3) What qualifications and/or requirements do we need?
4) How's the job hours like?
5) What incentives can bus captains look forward to?
Hope those with bus driving experience can share their views and opinions, the pluses and minuses, the good and the bad, so that any prospective new drivers can make informed choices.
Many thanks!
1. See which shift you do....a AM or PM shift is just 7 hours or slightly more...so it is like part time.
2. Starting: $1000, increase to 2 k in 2-3 yrs
3. Know to speaak english and mandrin, class 3/4 of D/E license
4. AM Shift: 5am-3pm(Depot start-Int change)
PM: 3-12pm (Int start-depot change)
E(S2)/S(S1): Abt mid-morning go depot, take bus, mid noon go back depot, mid afternoon go dept, night go back depot
TQ: 8am-7pm (Depot start and change)
AP: 6am-12pm (Seemed like little BC/SL do this)
N: (12am-6am)
5. Dunnoe
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Originally posted by SBS1984E:
There are numerous cases of execptions :). Mainly because of a shortage of BCs in a particular depot. But still in the same district. (As according to SLAMaps. Not SBS Transit) :)
If sbs district is mad, imagine HG and SL
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Would the bus company allocate a bus service that plies somewhere near your residence or from a depot closer to where you stay?... Or do they randomly allocate a bus service just like that?
They usually allocate you a depot near where you stay. Just imagine having to travel from Boon Lay to BNDEP. =.="Most BC/SL start out as standbys, and as a standbys they have to learn the routes allocated under the depot... and of course it varies with type of licence held.
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Originally posted by TIB1224Y:
SMRT veteran can earn like 2000 per month, if work 6 days on average...
Uncle who drives 1224 gets about 1100-1200 per three weeks, work average 5.5 days per week per month...
If taking one month to have 4.5 weeks, that is about 1800.
Seldom heard BC earn to reach 3K...
for 1 person i know every month almost hit 3k is TIB 589B's perm Bc Hua Mu Lan. he off day, rest day all work one. ask him A+P also can -
Originally posted by Oceane:
They usually allocate you a depot near where you stay. Just imagine having to travel from Boon Lay to BNDEP. =.="Most BC/SL start out as standbys, and as a standbys they have to learn the routes allocated under the depot... and of course it varies with type of licence held.
AMDEP drivers from M'Sia one why not in WLDEP :P
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Originally posted by n4l:
AMDEP drivers from M'Sia one why not in WLDEP :P
Well... maybe they dun live near Woodlands? Even if they were to live somewhere near the checkpoint, then I suppose there would be company buses to ferry them to AMDEP... I guess.
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Originally posted by Oceane:
They usually allocate you a depot near where you stay. Just imagine having to travel from Boon Lay to BNDEP. =.="Most BC/SL start out as standbys, and as a standbys they have to learn the routes allocated under the depot... and of course it varies with type of licence held.
I agree with that. It makes economic sense to allocate a depot near our house.. unlike some other govt. organisation.
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Any idea if a university undergraduate were to be a bus driver.. how much would the starting pay be? $1000 as a starting pay for that class of people seems rather little... Haha....
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Originally posted by gorby107:
=X
He is now an instructor, teaching new BC or those BC driving Scania for now....
Long time never see him drive Sv 119
sadx, no more ang chia seng. lol. wondering when he's coming back. -
Originally posted by SBS7484P:
sadx, no more ang chia seng. lol. wondering when he's coming back.He must be somebody from what you guys have posted... He won a long service award or stg? What has he done?
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
He must be somebody from what you guys have posted... He won a long service award or stg? What has he done?
greet all passengers when they aboard, drive smoothly w/o accidents in his working years, give aid to passengers when they nid help.... -
Originally posted by JaSoNhSu92:
greet all passengers when they aboard, drive smoothly w/o accidents in his working years, give aid to passengers when they nid help....Oh I see... He certainly deserves the praise.
But I experienced a rather interesting bus-driver onboard 198 to school. He's a regular 198 bus driver but I'm not sure what shift he's on. He greets everyone onboard the bus as well. So I suppose that's a good gesture.
But the smile grin on his face evolved to a menacing threatening look once he hears double-beeps when a student/concession card is being tapped. Not matter how packed the bus is, when he hears that sound, he will demand very loudly, (so that everyone will turn their head and see what happen) for the ez-link card to be shown. He will make sure that he checks ALL student cards. He literally takes the card from you and look at it for 3 seconds before returning it to you. Really admire those who tapped using their adult cards; they proceeded on to their seats with a breeze.
As a result, the poor me and other students had to queue up and surrender our cards mercifully under his command. I know that's his job and he has the right to do so... but.. it just doesn't make my day, expecially when I board his bus in the early hours of the morning; because of his rude gesture when demanding for my card although he greets us rather sarcastically after he checks them.
Should he be given an award for efficiency to save the bus inspector's time on checking the cards? My friends and I feel that it's high time that he gets it. But, alas, no matter how much "effort" he has put in to forcefully check our cards, there's nothing on his collar.
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Originally posted by lianamaster:
Well... maybe they dun live near Woodlands? Even if they were to live somewhere near the checkpoint, then I suppose there would be company buses to ferry them to AMDEP... I guess.
Those that live in JB. there's several drivers in amdep living in jb.