SBS Transit & SMRT house M'sian bus drivers in hotel for 2 weeks so public transport not affected

Great.

Tanya Ong| March 18, 2020, 09:39 AM

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Public transport operators in Singapore have to secure temporary accommodation for their Malaysian bus captains.

This is so scheduled bus services are not affected.

SBS Transit said this in a Facebook post on Mar. 17:But as the mad scramble on both sides of the Singapore-Malaysia border commenced last night, Malaysian SBS Transit and SMRT bus captains were seen settling down in their temporary accommodation to rest.

The photos were uploaded to Facebook on Tuesday night (Mar. 17).

SMRT bus captains and technicians were photographed at their accommodation together:

Photo from SMRT/FB

Photo from SMRT/FB

Photo from SMRT/FB

Photo from SMRT/FB

SBS Transit bus captains and rail staff were also seen settling down in a hotel:

Photo from SBS Transit/FB

Photo from SBS Transit/FB

Photo from SBS Transit/FB

In SBS Transit's Facebook post, they thanked their staff for "agreeing to stay in Singapore away from (their) family and loved ones".

Tammy Tan, Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications at SBS Transit also told Mothership that they have housed close to 1,800 Malaysian staff in hotels for this period.

Tower Transit also ensured that their Malaysian bus captains were housed in several hotels in Singapore.

In their Facebook post, they also said they activated their contingency staff housing at Bulim Bus Depot to ensure that their bus captains had a place to rest while hotel arrangements were being made.

Tower Transit/FB

Tower Transit/FB

Tower Transit/FB

Tower Transit/FB

And here's the Facebook posts:https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2254249301551252&id=1572448636397992

Malaysians working in Singapore not allowed to commute

As part of Malaysia’s restriction order, all tourists and foreign visitors coming into Malaysia will be barred from entering the country from Mar. 18 until Mar. 31.

Additionally, Malaysians are also barred from travelling abroad during the same period. This includes Malaysians who commute daily to Singapore for work.

In a bid to help Malaysian workers stuck in Singapore due to the lockdown, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Mar. 17 that a range of short-term housing options will be made available for them.

Top photo via SMRT, SBS Transit Facebook