Many operators making losses on school buses

THE fare increase is for our survival, some bus operators said.

Anderson Primary School's bus operator, Mr Tan Swee Huat, 53, said: "We're not raising fares by any amount we like. I had a talk with the principal, who said it was fair to increase the fares by 20 per cent."

Mr Tan explained that the number of students taking each minibus used to be 16. After seatbelts are installed, each bus can only take 11 students - resulting in a drop of more than 30 per cent in the capacity of the bus.

He said he used to earn an average of $1,600 per bus each month before seatbelts were installed. Now, he will earn about $1,300.

Mr Tan, who said he is increasing fares only for minibuses, added: "Even with this fare increase, I'm making $300 less on each minibus, and have to use the profits from the big buses to cover those losses."

Mr Tan, whose fleet services three primary schools, said each minibus costs $1,800 a month to operate - $1,200 for the driver's salary, $400 for fuel, and $200 for road tax, insurance and repairs.

Mr Tan said he has not raised bus fares for three to four years.

He said: "I'm very angry that parents are complaining. I'm about to go bust here. I've really been pushed to the edge."

Not surprising

Other bus operators also said that it is not surprising that fares are going above $100 a month.

The chairman of the Singapore School Transport Association, Mr Wong Ann Lin, said many school bus operators are still charging parents below cost by using profits from other transport contracts to cover their loss.

"Working in this line is really "bo tan lui" (meaning difficult to earn money in Hokkien). Most of us are just uncles who are working to keep ourselves occupied," he said.

What about charging parents even when their children are not using the bus during holidays?

Mr Wong explained: "Although we aren't driving them to school, we may not necessarily get extra jobs."

Anderson Primary principal Martin Tan said schools used only one operator because the safety of the pupils can be managed better, as bus routes can be coordinated more easily.

He said: "Furthermore, for an operator we have worked with for a long time, the school knows he is reliable, we know his track record, and we know his drivers are accident-free, and will be able to provide safe services for the students.

"The children's safety is of paramount importance."

This article was first published in The New Paper.