School bus fees to go up by 10% amid driver shortage and rising operating costs

SINGAPORE: The shortage of local school bus drivers and other factors like rising fuel costs have affected the operations of some school bus service providers, leading school bus fees to increase by up to 10%, compared to last year.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has said that demand for local school bus services has remained broadly stable. Despite the challenges, most operators continue to provide school bus services but must raise fares to meet costs while retaining and attracting drivers.

Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for MOE and the Ministry of Manpower said that school bus fees of most schools under MOE this year will increase by up to 10 per cent, with school bus fees for special education schools rising the highest.

In order to ensure that low-income families can afford school bus fees, MOE has increased the school bus subsidy from 60 per cent to 65 per cent since January this year. Eligible special-needs school students can also apply for the Disability Transport Allowance, which was increased in July last year.

Ms Gan added that MOE and the Ministry of Social and Family Development will closely monitor the situation of school bus fees and provide more assistance to students in need, if necessary.