To entice potential bus captains, a local bus company has put up a job ad offering an impressive S$5,000 per month starting pay, along with a S$10,000 sign-on bonus.

The attractive salary and payout are part of the recruitment strategy for the 42-year-old bus company, Westpoint Transit Pte Ltd, according to Shin Min Daily News.

The transport company reportedly hopes to encourage more young people to join the bus industry, with the goal of hiring 30 drivers by end-2024.

The role

There are no nationality restrictions for candidates who wish to apply for the bus captain role, according to recruitment ads on the company's LinkedIn and myCareersFuture pages.

It comes with a S$5,000 gross starting salary.

Drivers must have at least one year of relevant experience, a valid Class 4 driving licence and a vocational licence.

A Class 4 licence is required to drive heavy motor vehicles and tractors that exceed 2,500kg.

Successful applicants will also receive a joining bonus of S$10,000 upon signing a three-year contract, Shin Min reported.

Working hours are six days a week, up to a maximum of 44 hours weekly, with seven days of annual leave.

Drivers also get perks, such as group insurance and "tidbits and beverage choices".

Applications close on Jan. 15, 2024.

For comparison, SBS Transit is offering a monthly gross salary of up to S$4,000 with a sign-on bonus of S$6,000 for local bus captains, according to their website.

Wants to entice more young people to join bus industry

Westpoint Transit business development director, Li Jianyou (transliteration from Mandarin) explained to Shin Min that its plan of offering high salaries is a bid to entice more young people — especially locals — to join the bus industry.

In doing so, the company hopes to change society's impression about driving buses being a primarily blue-collar job.

And even though the company is offering high driver salaries, Li estimated that the costs should be manageable.

He also said the company hopes to offer internships in the future to attract even more young employees.

"After all, many children dream of driving buses when they are young," he added.

Aims to recruit 30 drivers by end-2024

The company aims to hire 10 drivers during its first phase of recruitment.

Its target is to bring in another 20 drivers during the second phase, thus recruiting a total of 30 new bus captains by the end of next year.

To improve the health of drivers, the company will also provide free exercise classes for them.

Additionally, drivers will undergo regular training on the latest bus technologies to help them better cope with road conditions.

Background

Westpoint Transit Pte Ltd was founded in 1982.

The headquarters is in Tuas, and it mainly runs bus services in the west of Singapore.

About 95 per cent of its services involve transporting workers to areas inaccessible by public buses, such as Jurong Island and Tuas South.

Top image from Westpoint Transit Pte Ltd on Facebook/ Shin Min Daily News.