S$5K salary + S$10K bonus: Bus driver job attracts office workers and university degree holders

SINGAPORE: A news personality from @lookynews recently broke down a trending bus driver job listing offering a S$5000 salary with a S$10000 bonus. According to job site Indeed, the average salary for a bus driver in Singapore is S$3,030 a month.

“Check this out,” the news reporter said. “S$5,000 monthly salary and a S$10,000 sign-on bonus for a bus captain. This is the Singapore bus company Westpoint (Transit).” He also touched on the reported “overwleming response” the job offer got, saying, “It makes sense right? In the first month, you can already get S$15,000. But do you know what’s crazy? Out of 1,300 applicants, 30 of them, hold university degrees, including mid-career individuals from stressful jobs in banks and tech firms.”

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The reporter gave a more concise version of the news, adding, “Despite hiring seven, including two graduates, the company aims to recruit 20 more in the subsequent rounds. The S$5,000 starting pay is intended to make bus driving attractive to younger Singaporeans and challenge the perspective of it being a low-paying job.

“West Point Transit emphasises family-friendly measures and hopes to revitalise the industry by attracting a younger workforce, offering career growth opportunities beyond driving roles.”

In a recent report, this significantly higher salary being offered for the position of a bus captain aligns with the emerging trend wherein blue-collar positions come with salaries that are higher than those that come with white-collar positions.

In other news, business development director of Westpoint Transit, Lionel Lee, said, “There is a stigma [in Singapore] that people see it as a highly laborious and not-so-well-paying job,” in an interview with Mothership.

He also said he wanted to offer bus drivers a starting pay that can go head-to-head with what people in other industries are offered. Furthermore, the company has implemented family-friendly measures for their bus captains.

Mr Lee also shared his hopes to catch the interest of younger Singaporeans, who he believes can help revolutionise an industry dominated by an older age group.

“If not, we will end up the way of many other industries that have not been able to attract local talent,” he said.

Read related: SG transport company offers S$5K/month pay for bus captains; S$10K joining bonus