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Tag: Bus Captain

  • New Citizen Mat Salleh Is First Caucasian Bus Captain In Singapore

    New Citizen Mat Salleh Is First Caucasian Bus Captain In Singapore

    The next time you board a bus, a driver may also greet you with a cheerful “goeie more” (pronounced ho-yah mo-ra) on your morning commute.

    That will be Mr Daniel Jacobus Ellis wishing you good morning in his native Afrikaans, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.

    The 34-year-old started his training to be a bus captain in February and has been driving with SBS Transit since April.

    He is the only Caucasian employed by the firm as a bus captain. SBS Transit has about 5,800 bus captains.

    He is believed to be the only bus captain here from South Africa.

    He said he had previously worked as a freelance business analyst here, but turned to the bus company for a stable job.

    “I saw an ad at the LRT station advertising positions for bus captains, and I thought to myself, why not give it a try,” he said.

    Mr Ellis – who moved here in 2011 when he married his Singaporean wife – gained his citizenship two years ago.

    Home is a four-room Build-To-Order Housing Board flat in Punggol which he shares with his wife, a school counsellor.

    To keep himself alert during his 12-hour long shifts – which can see him start the day as early as 2.45am – he enjoys a cup of kopi gao (thick coffee) from the Hougang Central Bus Interchange canteen.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • This Power Driver With Winning Smile Made My Day

    This Power Driver With Winning Smile Made My Day

    So I took bus number 806 from Yishun Interchange at about 10.54pm last night (27.06.17). This driver is one of the best drivers i’ve experienced in my entire 21 years of life so far.

    As usual everyone was silently in queue waiting for our bus. No emotion on our faces no smile, nothing at all.. As we boarded the bus, this driver made everyone smile but welcoming everyone so warmly. He greeted everyone as we boarded. Majority acknowledged and moved on back.. I thought that was the end of his gesture of kindness trying to brightens everyone day but warmly welcoming us onboard. But no..

    As we approached the first stop, and as soon as doors open and people alighted, he wished them a goodnight. Eventhrough he was right at the front and people were alighting from the other door at the back, he still shouted in a very sincere way wishes them a good night.

    He did this for every stop. Then my stop came, I didn’t know what I was feeling but I knew I was smiling and definitely feeling slightly sad as he are the type of people who should be accredited and known.

    As my stop approached, I walked to the front and started speaking to him. Thanking him for his service and just having a normal conversation. He respected everyone by calling them in the terms he knew how to address then as sisters and brothers. When he got to know I am Punjabi (he is mixed Punjabi) and It was time for me alight, he very nicely said Sat Sri Akal and wished me a goodnight.

    This are the kind of people that are needed in the service line. They make everyones day better and slightly more bearable. Tired or not I promise with more of them, you’ll never be dragging your feet to the bus interchange anymore. Service line isn’t just a job. It’s passion to help people and offer them the services our job requires.

    Thank you for the good ride home Surenther Singh Teja Singh

     

    Source: Simran Kaur Sheena

  • Kamarul – The Bus Captain That Shelters His Passengers From Rain

    Kamarul – The Bus Captain That Shelters His Passengers From Rain

    He always fretted whenever he saw his passengers who were caught in the rain run into the air-conditioned bus.

    They could catch a cold and fall sick, SBS Transit bus captain Kamarul often thought.

    Five months ago, he chose to do something about that.

    Mr Kamarul, who has been driving for about a year, would stand between the bus and bus stop with an umbrella to shelter those without one.

    His kind acts warmed the hearts of those he helped as well as witnesses, who shared it on SongHe’s Good Man Good Deeds Good Rice Facebook page.

    In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao in September, Mr Kamarul, 29, said he was inspired by his mother’s advice.

    “My mother once met a kind bus captain who alighted from the bus to help carry her shopping bag after he noticed how heavy it was,” said Mr Kamarul.

    “When she found out I was going to become a bus captain too, she reminded me to be patient with the passengers and help whenever I can.”

    He added: “If my passengers can benefit from that little action of mine, why not?”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Caring Malay Bus Captain Was Superhero, Took Care Of Woman Struggling With Toddler

    Caring Malay Bus Captain Was Superhero, Took Care Of Woman Struggling With Toddler

    This morning at about 10.15, I took a SMRT bus 859B (Licence plate no SMB 3149 X) at the bus stop opposite Blk 491 Admiralty Link. The driver, a Malay man in his twenties ( I couldn’t get his name) seemed reluctant to continue and kept looking towards the back of the bus.

    After about a minute of waiting, he walks towards the back and tells a female passenger who is standing to have a seat. The passenger is carrying a toddler. Despite her declining, he politely tries to persuade her to sit down, telling her that it may be uncomfortable and dangerous to stand. This prompts another passenger to persuade others to give up their seats. Someone gives up his seat and the passenger sits down. The journey continues uneventfully.

    Prior to boarding the bus, I had been watching the trailer of the new Captain America movie, a cinematic project filled with an assortment of super heroes.

    I couldn’t help but think that this young man could have turned a insouciant blind eye to the passenger’s discomfort and the possible danger facing her. He instead chose to address it. This prompted others to rise up and help her. He may have not realized it, but he inspired others to act with civic consciousness.

    Now that’s who I call a superhero. It is therefore fitting that I couldn’t even catch his name and he remains a mystery.

     

    Source: Thiagesh Menon 

  • 200 Complaints Lodged With Regard To The English-Speaking Competency Of Bus Captains

    200 Complaints Lodged With Regard To The English-Speaking Competency Of Bus Captains

    The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has received around 200 complaints regarding the language abilities of bus captains, most of which were on their ability to converse in English.

    Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew revealed this in a written reply to MP for Aljunied GRC Muhamad Faisal’s parliamentary question on the number of public feedback received with regard to the language abilities of bus captains.

    Mr Lui added that all bus captains are required to have a basic competency in conversational English before being deployed. Once LTA has received legitimate feedback, they will then inform the relevant public transport operators, who will send the bus captain for a refresher course.

    The bus captain will only be redeployed once he has passed a language test.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com