Migrant workers seen sitting in locked & caged lorry at Farrer Park, resident raises safety concerns

At least five migrant workers were seen sitting in a caged compartment at the back of a lorry, which is locked from the outside, in the Farrer Park area.

The lorry was seen at the junction of Serangoon Road and Rangoon Road on Nov. 30 at around 9pm.

Workers carried in locked cage compartment

Ram Prasath, 35, a resident living nearby, told Mothership that he was taking a bus when he came across the sight, which shocked him.

According to a video provided by Ram, at least five workers were seated in the rear compartment, with one man holding onto the metal cage with his fingers.

The lorry seemingly belongs to a timber flooring provider based in Jurong.

A yellow sticker near the rear licence plate indicates that the vehicle can carry 13 people.

Ram said he saw what looked like a chain hook being used to lock the compartment from the outside.

It was unclear if the workers inside had access to a key for the lock, but even so, it would be tough for them to get their hand through the narrow space.

Ram shared his concerns that this would prevent the workers inside from opening the compartment in the event of an emergency.

"Is it legal to transport people in Singapore like this?" Ram questioned.

According to a 2022 inter-agency advisory on the safe transportation of workers, employers should ensure "safe means of access and egress to and from the lorry deck".

This means that a rear compartment which cannot be opened from the inside would be inadvisable for the transport of workers.

Mothership understands the authorities are looking into the matter.

An evergreen issue

Even though transporting workers on lorries is legal under Singapore's road laws, safety concerns about the practice have been an evergreen issue.

An average of 161 workers were injured when transported on the back of a lorry from 2020 to 2024.

In 2021, two migrant workers who were lorry passengers died after an accident on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) with a tipper truck.

In 2025, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) renewed its call for a ban on the practice of transporting workers via lorries in Singapore.

HOME argued that the state has a duty to protect workers’ lives and should step in with subsidies, practical solutions while providing recommended timelines for companies to transition to safer modes of transport.

In February, then-Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said in Parliament that banning lorries from transporting workers is "not feasible" for smaller companies, partly due to a shortage of bus drivers.

Khor said that while the suggestion is well-intentioned, banning the use of lorries is not a practical solution for some contractors, particularly those from micro, small and medium enterprises.

"It is neither practical nor viable for the employers to have different vehicles and drivers to transport a small number of workers separately from their equipment and goods," said Khor.

She also said the government has been encouraging alternatives to lorries such as buses, and have been engaging the industry associations to encourage their members to transport their workers on buses.

Top image courtesy of Ram Prasath