SINGAPORE – In April 2025, Mr Yeo Zhi Qi switched jobs after finding out about the $20,000 sign-on bonus that public transport operator SBS Transit (SBST) was offering Singaporeans and permanent residents who joined as
new bus drivers
.
Mr Yeo was incentivised to make the move from his previous job selling fire extinguishers because he felt that being a bus driver was more “sustainable” as he could continue driving buses even as he grows older.
The 37-year-old told The Straits Times on March 6 that he was drawn to the job also because of the shift work.
It allows him to knock off on time to eat dinner with his sons, aged 15 and 11, on some weekday evenings. He normally ends his shift at about 7pm.
One of the reasons SBS Transit bus captain Yeo Zhi Qi, 37, was drawn to the job was the shift work.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Mr Yeo drives service 807, which operates from Yishun Bus Interchange and loops at Yishun Street 71. He also drives service 851e, which plies the route between Yishun and Outram Park.
He said his previous job was more stressful as he had a tight daily schedule and needed to travel across the island to his clients’ homes and offices.
The Singaporean plans to channel the $20,000 towards renovating his HDB Build-To-Order flat when it is ready in about five years.
Mr Yeo was among nearly 500 Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) who were successfully recruited as bus drivers by SBST since it began offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus in October 2024.
The sign-on bonus was $10,000 before, according to a job advertisement on SBST’s Facebook page in August 2023.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, during a debate on his ministry’s budget in Parliament on March 4, noted that there are “just not enough” Singaporeans wanting to be bus drivers.
He said he supported a suggestion to raise the starting salary for bus drivers – which is now around $3,600, including overtime – to attract new recruits.
The authorities are in talks with the bus operators and the National Transport Workers’ Union about this, Mr Siow added.
The Acting Minister said in February that while bus operators already have sign-on bonuses for local bus drivers, the possibility of adjusting starting salaries had to be looked at.
Earlier in October 2025, in his reply to a parliamentary question, Mr Siow said there were about 9,700 bus drivers in Singapore in 2024.
As at December 2024, 28 per cent of them were Singaporean, 15 per cent were PRs and 57 per cent were foreign work pass holders.
SBST told ST it saw an 8 per cent increase in local bus driver hires in 2025, compared with 2024.
The operator noted that the $20,000 is paid regularly in tranches, starting from the completion of training and continuing every six months for the first two years of service – over which $6,000 would be disbursed.
Following that, the remaining amount is paid annually until the full sum is fully disbursed over the next three years.
To qualify for the sign-on bonus, an applicant must be a Singaporean or PR who is at least 21 years old, with a Class 3 or 3A driving licence and at least one year of driving experience. The applicant should also be medically fit to perform operational duties.
SBST’s sign-on bonus was introduced in 2017 and was $3,000 at the time, with the sum rising over the years.
It is not the only operator dangling a $20,000 bonus to woo potential local bus drivers, with Go-Ahead Singapore and SMRT Buses doing likewise.
Go-Ahead Singapore noted a “steady pool” of local residents who expressed interest in joining the company as bus drivers since the introduction of its $20,000 sign-on bonus in November 2025.
The operator had previously offered a sign-on incentive of $10,000.
Go-Ahead did not provide recruitment numbers when asked.
Mr Vincent Gay, deputy managing director at SMRT Buses, said the company has intensified its efforts to attract and retain local bus drivers, including doubling its sign-on bonus to $20,000 from the previous year.
It was offering a sign-on bonus of $10,000 as at July 2025, based on a job advertisement posted to its Facebook page that month.
SMRT also did not provide recruitment figures when asked.
Meanwhile, Tower Transit Singapore has been offering a $7,200 sign-on bonus since 2023, which is paid in quarterly instalments over two years.
A spokesman for the operator said: “Our focus is on long-term career sustainability and sign-on bonuses are just one factor in a holistic talent attraction and retention plan.”
Asked why its sign-on bonus has remained the same since 2023, Tower Transit said it has generally experienced healthy recruitment.
It said it also makes a point of recognising the previous experience of returning bus drivers when deciding on their remuneration package.
Based on job listings posted by the various operators, the gross monthly salary of a public bus driver can reach $4,500.