Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Data on Number of Complaints on Jerky Driving by Bus Captains Received in Last Five Years and Correlation Between Jerkiness of Driving and Accident Rate

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport

a.     in each of the last five years, how many complaints of jerky driving have been received by LTA and public bus companies;

b.     whether all bus captains are trained and tested on smooth driving techniques;

c.     whether any on-board devices are used to monitor the jerkiness of bus captains’ driving; and

d.     whether there is any correlation between the jerkiness of driving and the accident rate of public bus captains.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran

1.     All new bus captains undergo a five-day Enhanced Vocational Licence Training Programme (“EVLTP”) at the Singapore Bus Academy, which includes a module on safe driving techniques. This is followed by an additional five to six weeks of on-the-road training conducted by the public transport operators before the bus captains are deployed to drive public buses. After deployment, bus captains attend regular safety briefings and go through refresher courses on safe driving techniques at least once a year. In all these sessions, bus captains are taught how to drive smoothly, including techniques for accelerating and braking.

2.     Public transport operators have also invested in telematics systems onboard buses to monitor bus captains’ driving behaviour. Those who require improvement are sent for remedial training.

3.     The number of accidents per 100,000 bus-km has fallen from 0.16 in January to August 2017, to 0.10 for the same period in 2021. The average monthly public feedback on jerky driving has also fallen from 18 in 2017 to 14 in 2021. Accidents involving bus captains are attributable to a range of factors including the sudden unexpected behaviour of other road users attempting to overtake and cut into bus lanes. We cannot, therefore, infer a correlation between these incidents and jerky driving by bus captains.