{"id":224,"date":"2020-03-06T10:05:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T10:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/?p=224"},"modified":"2020-03-06T10:05:09","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T10:05:09","slug":"thank-you-uncle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/thank-you-uncle\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank you, Uncle!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amidst the chatter of Bus Captains having their Monday morning cups of kopi at the SBS Bus Depot, we spotted the cheery Mr Ng Swee Fatt \u2013 64 year-old SBS Transit Bus Captain \u2013 who has been in this line for 41 years! <\/em><\/p>\n

More than 4 Decades as Bus Captain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At 64, the sprightly Mr Ng has no plans to retire anytime soon. He shared how he really loves what he has been doing for the past 41 years. And no, it\u2019s not \u2018just driving a bus\u2019. Pointing to his rank badge, \u201cSee, I have 3 lines now\u201d. The wide smile on his face revealed the pride and joy he takes in his work. When asked what kept him here \u2013 41 years is a long <\/em>time \u2013 he shared that he really loves what he does, interacting with commuters daily, picking up new skills and mentoring new Bus Captains. The cherry on top is that with the National Transport Workers\u2019 Union (NTWU)\u2019s help, salary packages and benefits for Bus Captains have also improved a lot over the years, especially after the introduction of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) in 2016.<\/p>\n

NTWU\u2019s Neverending Push <\/strong>for Bus Captains and\u00a0<\/strong>The Bus Contracting Model (BCM)\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Under the BCM, bus operators competing for contracts had to abide by strict guidelines, which ensured that bus employees would be treated fairly and are no worse off when a new operator takes on the contract. Starting monthly pay for new local Bus Captains has also increased by over 25% since 2014 (higher than the national wage growth of 18% for the same period), and NTWU played a big role in that.<\/p>\n

Mr Ng also shared how NTWU has always tried its best to help fellow Bus Captains solve problems where possible, “\u5f53\u7136,\u5de5\u4f1a\u4e0d\u53ef\u80fd\u5e2e\u5230\u6bcf\u4e2a\u4eba\u201d. Indeed, much as they try, the Union couldn\u2019t possibly help with every.single.case.<\/p>\n

In most cases, however, NTWU has been a strong pillar for our Bus Captains, they have negotiated for better benefits and working conditions for our transport workers over the years. Did you know that a Bus Captain\u2019s bonus can go up to 4 months depending on their performance? We certainly didn\u2019t! *envious<\/em><\/p>\n

Having been in the industry for more than 4 decades, we really want to know what sustains Mr Ng in this high-stress job as a Bus Captain\u2019s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a sheepish smile, he replied, \u201cSimple things daily. Like someone saying, \u2018Hello, Uncle\u2019 and \u2018Thank you, Uncle\u2019 when they board or alight. It makes my day.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Interestingly, this came up multiple times during our chats with other Bus Captains as well!<\/p>\n

On some of Mr Ng\u2019s regular routes, just meeting the familiar commuters and exchanging a few greetings with them delights him. He also spoke of the little snacks that some friendly commuters share with fellow Bus Captains and how they perk them up. Now you know, it really doesn\u2019t take much to make your bus uncle \/ aunty\u2019s day on your next bus journey!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure this job is not always a bed of roses?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cConfirm every job has stress, especially so if you take pride in what you do. Take for example, our \u2018running time\u2019, we have very strict standards to maintain. So at any point in time, we have to maintain the time, check that our passengers are safe, look out for errant drivers on the road. We have to ensure punctuality at every bus stop, not only at the depot. The stress is there but lucky we have NTWU to help us resolve certain issues that we faced. They really helped us a lot,\u201d Mr Ng shared.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, there was an occasion when Bus Captains feedbacked on extremely tight running times, and the Union managed to help them negotiate for more reasonable timings. Union leaders often help to float constructive feedback to the top, and issues do get resolved! The feedback don’t disappear into thin air.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Bus Captains even shared personal problems with our union leaders. They really take the time to listen,\u201d he chuckled. Indeed, over the years, NTWU\u2019s relationship with our Bus Captains has strengthened. The Union safeguards the welfare of transport workers and at the same time, gathers strong support and constructive feedback from the ground.<\/p>\n

Were there occasions when commuters vent their anger at Bus Captains? Mr Ng shrugged, \u201cJust ignore and do our job lor\u2026 I\u2019m contented when elderly commuters and young children get to their destinations safely. Your journey is mine too, \u4f60\u4eec\u5b89\u5168, \u6211\u5c31\u5f00\u5fc3.\u201d Truly inspiring!<\/p>\n

Indeed, it is not uncommon to hear of bus captains bearing the brunt of commuters\u2019 rage.<\/p>\n

“What we want is to \u2018Show Respect, Stop Abuse<\/strong>\u2019, to build a healthy and positive workplace environment for our Bus Captains. Let us start by giving a smile to the captain as we board the bus, and to intervene as one community when we see any abuse.” ~ Mr Melvin Yong<\/strong>, Assistant Secretary-General in the National Trades Union Congress<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No longer about \u2018just driving a bus\u2019, Bus Captains are exposed to opportunities for upskilling and training these days. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to yourself whether you want to move up. I still enjoy the driving after 41 years but training new people helps them and also myself. I get to try new things and move up the ranks,\u201d Mr Ng himself is also a trainer, mentoring new Bus Captains. SBS Transit has a model where bus captains showing talent, capability and potential are able to rise in the organisation. Indeed, mentoring new bus captains allows bus captains to demonstrate and further hone leadership skills. They also gain confidence as they move up the ranks, regardless of age! A Bus Captain\u2019s job is no longer just about driving a bus. It comes down to your own learning attitude, and whether you are open to opportunities to try your hand at other things. Senior Bus Captains also move on to more duties honing other skillsets such as managing rosters, training and development.<\/p>\n

As the saying goes, \u6d3b\u5230\u8001\uff0c\u5b66\u5230\u8001!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mr Ng\u2019s advice to younger Bus Captains in the industry?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Oldies but goodies; tolerance \u2013 when it comes to unreasonable commuters \u2013 and a professional attitude: \u201c\u6ca1\u6709\u4e8b\u4e0d\u8981\u4e71\u62ffMC\u201d (Translation: Don\u2019t take MC unnecessarily)<\/p>\n

Guess we, as the younger generation, have to take a leaf out of Mr Ng\u2019s book! ;P<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amidst the chatter of Bus Captains having their Monday morning cups of kopi at the SBS Bus Depot, we spotted the cheery Mr Ng Swee Fatt \u2013 64 year-old SBS Transit Bus Captain \u2013 who has been in this line for 41 years! More than 4 Decades as Bus Captain At 64, the sprightly Mr…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}