MC=Demerit Point

last SG · 2008-05-01T23:45:54+00:00

from the NEWPAPER. http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,164007-1210111140,00.html?

Y_Shun SG

MC=Demerit point

THIS list drove bus drivers up the wall. It showed how many medical certificates (MCs) they had submitted for sick leave.

It was put up on the staff notice board at the Yio Chu Kang interchange

And it was apparently meant to shame the 'MC kings'.

Earlier this month, when The New Paper alerted SBS Transit about this 'shame list', its management ordered supervisors to remove the list immediately.

Earlier this month, 34 bus drivers from various interchanges spoke to The New Paper individually. As their contracts forbid them from speaking to the media, their real names have been withheld.

The drivers said they get points in various ways. It is eight demerit points if they drive a bus into the interchange five or more minutes early, and usually three merit points if they confiscate an invalid ez-link card.

They usually earn half a merit point when they receive a passenger's commendation.

SMRT, another major bus operator with some 1,700 drivers, said it also has a merit-demerit point system.

But apparently it does not give demerit points to drivers who fall ill.

Its spokesman said bus drivers 'may be given demerit points due to disciplinary issues such as being absent without a valid reason, being caught flouting traffic rules like speeding and beating the red light'.

Full Proper Article: http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Office/Story/A1Story20080430-62544.html

chickenlittle2 SG

Wa.. fierce leh.. I easily strike more than 6 days MC in a year. 4.4 days, I think the buses also exceeds the number of days easily.

brotherchen1982 SG

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,163365-1209506340,00.html

Source : Monday TNP

SBS9888Y SG

Earlier this month, when The New Paper alerted SBS Transit about this 'shame list', its management ordered supervisors to remove the list immediately.

Full Proper Article: http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Office/Story/A1Story20080430-62544.html

actually now BCs everything also cut pay de. horning at toa payoh int when reversing. never slow down at traffic light to 30, never slowdown at bus stop to 20, go above 15 at interchanges. never apply brakes when moving forward abit to get ready to turn right. showing a glum face to customer after a long day. talking to a person for too long. getting ahead of schedule by more than 3 minutes. passenger complain that BC accidentally missed the passenger's stop. passenger running after the bus but bus never wait. the list just goes on etc. etc.

every year more and more drivers are leaving SBS Transit and SMRT.

SBS 233 X SG

Thats the reason why BCs are running away.

SBS 233 X SG

every year more and more drivers are leaving SBS Transit and SMRT.

To add on, when you are late but you can't go fast.

Also, not enough BCs to drive esp for P Shift hence interchange will drag the frequency of each bus making it difficult to chase the time back for BCs.

Basically the stress is too much and company has too much laws.

-beehoon SG

bad things e.g arriving at inter earlier den 5 mins gt 8 demerit. whereras, gd things like receiving praise frm passengers onli awards 1/2 merit points. frm my own opinion, i feel it's rather unfair. i mean if tat's e case, if i'm a bc, i nid receive 16 praises to make up to the 8 demerit points. sometimes, it's not e bc's fault also wad. traffic very smooth and little flow of passengers waiting for bus can cause dem to reach inter earlier.
imagine when ur reli sick, u provide a valid MC, yet u still receive demerit points everytime u submit an MC. then, during peak hours, when other vehicles dun give way to buses exiting bus bays, causing delay to e bc'c schedule, in turn dey gt scolding frm passengers when dey arrive late at e bus stop. so stressful life... if it's me, i oso will quit lor. insufficient bc on e road liao dey still hav some of these 'unfair'( at least to me i feel it's unfair ) measures, no wonder bc will quit or no ppl wanna become one.

and also, nowadays bus fares keep rising.. passengers therefore will expect a better comfortable ride and to some of dem, be greeted or shown a smile or wad so ever is a MUST and is expected of a bc. so lesser ppl will actually write to the sbst company or press to comment on acts of bc being polite n stuffs like that. so.. how can dey still earn praise? onli when dey r lucky? dey find valuables left over by pax den dey return to e owners ah ha.. den will gt praise...

dumbdumb! SG

i guess bus drivers also have a hard life. tts why i don't give them grief when they drive like a maniac. now i know why.. =/

TIB1224Y SG

If I am a BC, I will do the following when i got into such a situation. Whether its flouting the rues or not, or you dun feel like it, but I guess its the best I would do...

As a SBST BC...

1. Early: Once the DDU indicates I am early, I will check my time against the timesheet. If the timesheet is not the same as the actual time, which means that the timesheet is wrong, I will mark the time against the timesheet, like +2 or -3 and so on, and continue on with the journey. And when the buffer is reached, like 5 minutes, I will stop the bus and apologize to the commuters on the bus, and stop the bus at the bus stop until the time have dropped to 0 or +1 and I would move off. Saves my wallet and my points too. Being so, i will drive at a safe speed of 50km/h maximum on normal roads and maximum vehicle speed on expressway.

2. Confiscating cards: I will not confiscate cards. I swear I will never do such anti-social things, even if it gives me SGD1000 bonus per year. Ethnic is ethnic. Irritating customers is the last thing I would do.

3. Late: Once I got into a late situation, more than 5 minutes behind schedule, I will go off service immediately. I will not ask OCC cause this is plain stupid and I hate being late. Before entering Interchange, or when time reaches +1 (early by 1 minute), i will put back the plates and resume service. Only in dire conditions will I ask OCC if I can go off service. I believe on the road, the BC sees more than the guys in the office.

4. MC: Believe me, unless I am bed-ridden or under heavy medication, I will not take MC. This is making loss to the company. Serious loss, as men are its tools in profit, in turn, will the company then care about its employees.

As a SMRT BC:

1. Late or early: same as above. DDU have to be the iBOS though...

2. Confiscating cards: Same as above.

3. MC: Same as above.

4. Vehicle performance: You know the underhand methods of making the bus run fast. Then you do it.

These are the views I have as the shoes of a bus captain. There are just some rules which have to be followed, there are some which are meant to be broken sometimes. And some rules are plain stupid rules, which need no following...

sv966 SG

A pity not all drivers think the same way as you... Sometimes, some SOPs are there for a reason. It's a matter of in the course of abiding to them, whether you understand the reasoning behind such practices.

1. Stopping the bus at the bus stop to correct schedule is not being practiced because it will hold up traffic at the bus stop itself and affect the regular operation of other buses calling at the stop. It is better for the bus to assimilate with the main traffic flow but adjust his travel speed accordingly (but not excessively).

2. I don't think the confiscation of cards should be viewed as an "anti-social" act... After all commuters must understand its part of the job to protect the interests of the commuting public at large in barring people from unauthorised misuse of concession passes.

3. There's a reason for OCC's existance. Going off-service has implications on passengers waiting downstream of the route, as one bus is taken off and they will have to wait for the next one after you. If BCs are given full autonomy to declare a bus off service, then we will have many fan pai buses on the roads and commuters will have to wait for very long before there will finally be one bus that will pick them up. The OCC is equipped with the necessary monitoring devices to help them see a bigger picture of the whole service route, allowing them to make informed decisions in headway management for the entire service as a whole.

4. A BC who is reports to work while he is sick, is a potential danger to the commuters of his bus. Apart from spreading his sickness to the passengers, a sick person is also unable to concentrate on his job well, and this will have disastrous safety considerations should he be allowed to continue working. This is something which I believe the top management will not compromise on.

I hope those pointers mentioned would help you understand more on the purpose of certain established practices, and why it is not always possible for BCs to "do their own thing". =)

sBs_boy SG

It seems to me that just less than 5 years and you have forgotten all about SARS that has hit us very badly.

Do you wish to have a repeat of that ?

service_238 SG

It seems to me that just less than 5 years and you have forgotten all about SARS that has hit us very badly.

Do you wish to have a repeat of that ?

5 years 2 months.

Yusry SG

The NTWU seems to be quiet regarding this matter. I'm pretty sure they should be making a lot of noise over this.

cyberr1981 SG

didn't know bus drivers' life is so hard.... *sob*

cyberr1981 SG

every year more and more drivers are leaving SBS Transit and SMRT.

No wonder so many ads asking people to become bus drivers!

TIB1224Y SG

It seems to me that just less than 5 years and you have forgotten all about SARS that has hit us very badly.

Do you wish to have a repeat of that ?

There are lots of employees of different companies who woul take leave just because of some small pains or such, and in a whole it worsens the situation...

Okay, lets phrase it this way, small illness then dun take MC loh, things like fever/flu/cough or any transmitting diseases then take MC loh...

Yes maybe sometimes i may be thinking too much of my own way... But these are measures i feel could protect an individual...

i also agree that BC have to follow by OCC instructions along the way...

Phoebie SG

sidetrack: (this has got nothing to do with the thread's topic) i knew of people who purposely took MCs in my ex companies.. one told us MC bu na bai bu na ..

Cowbaycowboo SG

The NTWU seems to be quiet regarding this matter. I'm pretty sure they should be making a lot of noise over this.

they like the rests are bull, in the context of SG, that is

sir_peanuts SG

no wonder need to import BCs from china.

BangHong SG

Didnt know there is this kind of system, felt bad for them =c