SINGAPORE – To attract more locals to the profession, the Government will fund a $450 monthly salary increase for new Singaporean and permanent resident bus drivers from January 2027, along with an additional $2,000 in sign-on bonuses.

This will effectively increase their average monthly pay from about $3,600 now to more than $4,000, after including overtime pay and allowances.

Existing bus drivers will get a one-time pay bump to ensure fairness, boost retention, and recognise their hard work, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on June 3 in a joint statement with the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) and four public bus operators.

The statement did not give details of the pay adjustment, which will be funded by the operators: Go-Ahead Singapore, SBS Transit, SMRT and Tower Transit Singapore.

The move comes amid difficulties in attracting and retaining new bus drivers as the existing workforce ages, even as the number of bus routes has increased.

Under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme announced in 2024, up to $900 million will be spent up until 2032 to improve the bus network in several ways. This includes rolling out new bus services, deploying express feeder buses, and extending bus routes, among others.

Since the programme was launched in July 2024, 33 bus routes have been introduced or extended, with changes made to more than 60 existing bus services.

“As we work to expand and improve bus services, we must also support the people who keep them running,” said Acting Transport Minis...