Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Enhance Public Safety on Buses in Light of Incident where Bus Driver was Assaulted by Intoxicated Passengers

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Transport in light of the incident where a bus driver was assaulted by intoxicated passengers after being advised by the operations control room to stop the bus and lock its doors 

a.     whether due consideration was given to the safety of the driver and passengers when the advice was given;

b.     whether the Ministry will be looking into enhancing public safety under such scenarios; and 

c.     whether the Ministry can provide an update on the installation of protective barriers in buses.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     Public transport operators (PTOs) have standard operating procedures or SOPs in place to manage incidents that bus captains may face in the course of their duties, including physical or verbal abuse by commuters. The SOPs include de-escalation procedures to be adopted by bus captains. Incidents of physical or verbal abuse are also reported to the respective Bus Operations Control Centres (BOCCs) who will activate the Police where necessary.

2.     Where commuters remain aggressive even after attempts to de-escalate, bus captains will be advised to stop the bus at the next bus stop and wait for the Police's arrival. These procedures were followed for the incident in question, where a Go-Ahead Singapore (GAS) bus captain was assaulted by two intoxicated commuters on 2 November 2021.

3.     Where a commuter could put the safety of the bus captain or other commuters at risk, the BOCC will advise the bus captain to open the bus doors so that the bus captain and commuters can leave the bus if necessary. In the incident cited by the Member, the bus captain was assaulted when he returned to the driver cabin after reminding the two commuters to put on their masks. As the attacks happened suddenly, the BOCC did not have an opportunity to provide further guidance to the bus captain.

4.     The installation of protective barriers in buses was trialled in 2018 and 2020. However, these were discontinued as bus captains had provided feedback that the glare from the barriers posed a safety risk when driving.

5.     LTA, the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) and the PTOs stand united in adopting a zero-tolerance approach to abuses against public transport workers. Both assailants involved in this incident have been charged in Court. One of them was sentenced to 10 months' jail while Court proceedings for the second assailant are pending. After the conclusion of Court proceedings, we will also assist the bus captain if he wishes to pursue civil legal actions against the assailants. Strong enforcement and tough penalties are necessary to send a clear signal and deter abuses against our frontline workers.