For its report, HOME held focus group discussions with 34 migrant workers who frequently travel in vehicles, as well as solicited opinions from other parties, including a former owner of a construction business, lorry drivers, bus owners, an scholar, and a representative from a travel business.
HOME suggested that the government work with business partners to establish dedicated bus firms and assist organizations that want to train and hire in-house drivers in order to address the shortage of bus drivers and trucks.
According to HOME, there is a three-year space between the legislative longevity of a public vehicle, which is 17 years, and that of a personal vehicle, which is 20 years.
The NGO also called for regular monitoring of information on fleet accidents, deaths, and injuries, as well as stricter enforcement of existing health regulations, such as limits on driving hours and deployment of acceleration limiters in lorries above 3, 500kg.
The customers police were” concerned by the small assembly charge” of speed limiters, according to Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam in January. By the end of 2024, only about 50 of the roughly 17, 000 available lorries had completed the required assembly. The speed limit condition may start as early as next time, depending on the design of the lorry.
Home also suggested that the government offer subsidised public transportation passes to migrant workers, which might be desirable for those who reside close to MRT or bus stops.
According to interviews conducted with stakeholders for this report, “migrant workers usually begin their day sooner than the typical Singaporean worker, and end their workday afterwards, which suggests that the number of commuters on public transportation would probably not increase significantly,” said HOME.
It advised that immigrant workers ‘ lodging been strategically located to lower prices for employers and workers ‘ demands for public transportation.
To help continuous immigrant dormitories to be residing closer to, or within locals ‘ housing communities, it said,” Existing housing models for immigrant workers must be constantly disrupted in order to address the long distances that workers have to travel to get to their workplace every day.”
Senior Minister of State for Transport, Amy Khor, said last month that many micro, small, and medium businesses were unable to afford to ban lorry transport for migrant workers in response to parliamentary inquiries.
She cited the case of” special trades” that “typically need to transport a small crew of workers and equipment to several locations within a day, and ensure that both the workers and equipment can arrive at the site at the same time to reduce downtime.”
These were” not just financial constraints but practical operational challenges,” according to Dr. Khor. She also cited a “grave shortage” of bus drivers, which is a problem for the bus companies that run public transportation, tour buses, and school buses.
The government encourages migrant worker dormitories to be set up close to large construction sites, such as shipyards, and it also engages industry associations to promote alternatives to lorries, she continued.