HIRING HALTED
Public bus operators such as SMRT, SBS Transit and Tower Transit told CNA that they conduct their own in-house training for drivers, and so are unaffected by the shortage of driving lesson slots.
For private sector companies, the delays in securing lesson slots could stretch up to a year.
Earlier in 2024, the high turnover rate for local drivers prompted Mr Farid Khan, CEO of Singapore Cab Booking, to consider hiring foreigners instead.
He currently employs 15 local drivers for his fleet of 12 buses.
But hearing about the long waiting times put a stop to Mr Khan’s plans.
The foreign worker recruitment agencies he had approached for help in finding workers told him about the delays, which started earlier this year.
“We have to find a time and date for the test that would synchronise with their lodging here. It’s very difficult, the demand is there, but the supply (of drivers) is less,” Mr Khan added.
The director of another bus charter company with a fleet of 90 buses, who asked to be anonymous, said the situation was unfair on firms like his.
“The driver cannot do anything else. During this time, he’s not supposed to do anything and just wait for the licence,” he reiterated.
Work permits typically only last for two years, and workers might fail the Class 4 driving test on their first attempt, after waiting 10 months for a test date. By the time they wait for their next test date, their permits might be close to expiring, said the director.
While foreign work pass holders do not make up the majority of his employees, he has stopped hiring new drivers for now because it is “impossible to wait that long”.
“We feel that workers who need the driving licences for their vocations should be given priority,” he added.
