Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that the service workers we see every day are humans too.
Plenty of people were complaining about long wait times for buses, but we have to remember that our bus drivers are human and can fall sick too.
Some bus services by SBS Transit had longer waiting times after facing a shortage of drivers due to COVID-19.
SBS Transit Facing Shortage Of 80 Drivers
If you take any bus services operated by SBS Transit, you may have noticed longer than usual wait times on Tuesday (15 February).
The public transport operator has since said that they were facing a shortage of close to 80 bus drivers. This comes after there was an unprecedented rise in the number of bus drivers infected with COVID-19.
This rise in infected bus drivers is following the general trend of the rise in cases within Singapore. There was a total of 19,420 cases reported on 15 February, with the total amount of COVID-19 cases since 2020 inching toward half a million.
With drivers being exposed to thousands of passengers per day, it is no surprise that many drivers are getting infected. Thankfully, 99% of their drivers are vaccinated and display mild to no symptoms while recovering.
SBS Transit has apologised to affected passengers for the inconvenience, and sought their understanding. The operator will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to make adjustments.
For instance, they may lengthen the headways for some services, or deploy more double-deck buses for services with higher loading.
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LTA Responds
LTA has also stated that they’re monitoring the situation closely and will do their utmost to minimise disruption.
The authority also warned commuters of an increase in waiting times for more bus services, should the number of COVID-19 cases rise even more amongst drivers.
LTA, along with the public transport operators, will keep us updated if any further service adjustments are made.
In the meantime, you can check the MyTransport.SG mobile app for the arrival time of your buses.
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