Our Desk | On inspiring bus drivers

Daniel Beitler

Bus companies in Macau are expected to lose around 10 percent of their drivers to retirement within the next four years, said Lam Hin San, director of the Transport Bureau (DSAT), the other week – though from my anecdotal evidence as a frequent bus-taker, I am surprised that the figure is not higher.
All in all, this will equate to roughly 110 fewer drivers than there are today, unless the bus operators can replenish their ranks with fresh youngsters.
According to a report published in the Times this month, the DSAT maintains that the best way to alleviate the “heavy pressure” on the sector, and to encourage young locals to join the service, is to simplify the examination procedures for licenses. Specifically, they are planning to strike the mechanical component of the examination.
But this seems unlikely to have much of an effect.
Bus drivers are not glamorous, and lowering the role’s barriers to entry is less likely to encourage youngsters to sign up than buffing the role’s appeal through increased pay and related compensation benefits, you know, the normal way to resolve supply shortage and demand surplus.
With locals earning more and gaining access to better education, they are quite reasonably moving into higher-wage roles – that migrant workers often cannot access – leaving lower-wage, unskilled roles vacant.
In some countries where labor laws are strong and non-residents are not considered for the transport sector, workers are paid generously and entitled to – some might say – ample vacation time.
But if this is going to upset balance sheets in Macau, then maybe bus companies can do the obvious and look to the large pool of migrant labor eagerly awaiting work opportunities in the MSAR.
Migrant workers are normally associated with higher job enthusiasm and performance, usually because they value the work more, as their livelihood depends on it.
However, DSAT says that they are not opening up job vacancies to non-resident workers, adding that they are focused on encouraging young locals to join the service.
Actually, according to the New Era bus company’s website, the recruitment criteria does not specify any requirements for applicants to be residents.
It only requires a “good behavior record” (which is encouraging), “enthusiasm to serve the public, and a valid D1 or D2 license.” The advertisement did not specify the wage, nor did the company reply to the Times’ request for that information.
Separately, an astonishing phenomenon I have noticed among bus drivers in Macau is that I sometimes see them listening to music on their earphones, which is a dangerous practice for obvious reasons. In light of the occasional accident, such as the New Era bus crash in Coloane last month, I am perplexed as to why the company would permit its employees to do this.
One more thing – a bit of a non-issue but worth raising anyway – why do the bus drivers in Macau brake so violently? At first I thought that this was a problem with the actual buses, but it turns out that not all drivers insist on accelerating up to a bus stop, only to suddenly slam the brakes.
It’s not such a problem if you don’t mind swaying, swinging and generally tumbling around the standing area of the bus every time the driver takes a sharp turn, but perhaps they could act a little more concerned when a pregnant lady boards, or a mother carrying a baby. Perhaps they could let these individuals sit down first before speeding off down the road, haphazardly accelerating and braking as they go. Daniel Beitler