The recent announcement of Bravo Transport winning the Seletar Package leaves us in great shock and disappointment. With this change in operator to a HK-based company, residents from Yishun, Yio Chu Kang and Ang Mo Kio will all stand to suffer from greatly worsened bus service for at least the next five years. Staff working in this part of the public bus industry also stand to be great losers from the exploitative and profit-driven nature of bus companies from Hong Kong. And passengers who do not live in the catchment areas of the Seletar Package, but still rely on the package’s bus routes to get around are also equally affected by this senseless and money-minded decision making by LTA! 

Why is Bravo a terrible choice for the Seletar Package? Because the Hong Kong bus operating culture is very different from Singapore, where we are all used to buses operating at convenient and somewhat consistent frequency throughout the day, wherever we go. In contrast, many bus services in Hong Kong, including those operated by Citybus (whose parent is Bravo), are less consistent about providing good quality bus services to residents, as they only cater to those travelling during peak hours towards the city. In Hong Kong, feeder bus services to MTR stations may operate every 6-7 minutes during the peak hour, but otherwise only arrive every 25 (twenty-five) minutes during off-peak hours! When Bravo takes over operations of the Seletar Bus Package, the prospect of having to wait 20 minutes or more for a bus outside the peak hours will become a reality for everyone living in these towns who rely on taking the bus to school or work! Do you want a future where you must wait 20 minutes or more if you miss the bus, not because the bus driver is slow, but because the timetables are adjusted to such a horrible level of bus service? If you want to continue enjoying buses that arrive frequently, this petition is a voice for you to state clearly to LTA that it is unacceptable to have such a bus company running buses in Singapore!

Additionally, Hong Kong bus companies are also notorious for mistreating bus drivers, forcing them to work extremely long shifts (lasting more than 14 hours each day). While this exceeds the legal shift hours limit in Singapore, bus companies are allowed to classify additional hours worked beyond this limit as overtime to lengthen shift times when desired, but so far this has been applied in a very limited fashion. On the other hand, a 2016 report notes that 97% of Hong Kong bus drivers surveyed (from Citybus, owned by Bravo Transport: https://hongkongfp.com/2016/06/07/97-of-bus-drivers-work-overtime-leading-to-safety-issues-union-says/ ) regularly work overtime, and 74% are frequently tired when driving. As a result, Hong Kong experiences hundreds of bus accidents every month, which is a shocking number even in Singapore where we have seen more bus accidents in recent months. Additionally, Hong Kong’s bus companies are also notorious for very tight scheduling that bus drivers struggle to follow, which further hampers their judgement and leaves them prone to crashing. They also give bus drivers very short breaks, making the fatigue of bus drivers working for HK-based bus companies much worse. These are all things that we can expect our bus drivers to go through when Bravo takes over the Seletar package next year, and while SBS Transit has not been very good at keeping a clean safety record for Seletar since 2018, having Bravo operate our buses means that bus drivers will forced by their Hong Kong management to drive more recklessly, and cause more bus accidents, posing a serious threat to the safety of our bus rides every day. If you want better safety when riding buses, please sign this petition so that LTA can reconsider this poor choice of bus operators that results in a LOSE-LOSE situation for staff and passengers alike, all for the benefit of a few top company bosses based in Hong Kong.

Let’s act now, and reverse this decision by LTA with our efforts while no one is yet harmed, before Bravo and their disastrous style of management can take root in our bus system.

If you value bus service that can be relied on at any time of the day, I strongly urge you to sign this petition. Bravo Transport and their Hong Kong-style profiteering operational mindset is a threat to safe, convenient and frequent bus services in central and northern Singapore and beyond. Let’s protect our bus rides and our hardworking bus captains, by urging LTA with our signatures to reconsider this ill-thought and dangerous choice which will harm our bus services for the next five years and beyond. By signing this petition, you form part of the collective voice to empower positive change in the bus system, for yourself, your family, your neighbourhood, and Singapore.