Working environment is horrible, the drivers are in 2 groups of
people, 1 is the type that likes to drive very fast, 1 is the type
that likes to drive very slow. Very imminent in feeder services
where the headway becomes very prolonged because 1 driver speeds
very fast and the one behind decides to die-die stick to his
timesheet and gets pushed back due to 150% passenger crowd. As a
result the original schedule goes haywire until the break times
come in (in feeders you drive for about 2 hours and rest 15 min so
for that 2 hours the headway is very very very unstable.)
Standbys used to have 4 slots per week as ODW slots, now left 2,
I even seen 1 before, means the rest of the week that driver rots
away in the interchange.
PRCs anyhow drive buses, time to speed he slows down (when there
is nothing in front), reach traffic light he chiong past (when the
light is amber). They like to play with time, purposely lambat so
that they get to downroute, while other drivers suffer because of
their inconsiderate actions.
Timekeepers hardly use their common sense; driver lambats 35
mins and he asks the driver to continue driving, driver lambats 5
mins and he asks the driver to do downroute. Half the time they are
dozing off in their comfortable air-conditioned office and they
hardly care about inconsiderate drivers (like PRCs as mentioned
above) until when I had to personally tell him off that he's
messing up everyone's schedule because he anyhow pull their time.
Then he go "Oh, that driver in front purposely lambat one ah? I
didn't know!"
So it isn't really nice working for SMRT. Though the pay is
quite ok and working hours are very comfortable, but half of the
driver population are black sheeps. I believe it applies alot to
SBST also.
An eye opener for me, thanks alot for telling me what is actually
happening.
