Pei Chun, Cedar appoint new bus operators; some drivers still unpaid

Some workers and schools were left in the lurch after the death of Yeap Transport’s founder and chief executive resulted in the company’s closure.

Pei Chun Public and Cedar Primary schools have appointed new bus operators for the 2025 school year after their previous contractor, Yeap Transport, closed abruptly in early November.

Workers from the company have also been affected by the stoppage, with some filing reports with the authorities that their salaries have not been paid.

The death of its founder and chief executive, Mr Adrian Yeap, on Oct 29 was announced by the company in social media posts two days later on Oct 31. The company did not give further details on his cause of death.

In response to queries, the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) said it was alerted on Oct 30 that some workers for Yeap Transport had filed complaints about not being paid.

On Nov 11, the union met union members affected by the sudden closure. As Yeap Transport is non-unionised, not all its employees are formally represented by NTWU.

About 30 employees participated in a session with NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute, where they were briefed on the job matching and training support they could draw upon. NTWU also assisted affected members with salary claim processes, said the union.

NTWU understands that some employees affected by the closure have already found jobs within the same sector.

It said: “Although Yeap Transport is a non-unionised company, withholding wages due to workers is unacceptable.”

In response to queries, Pei Chun Public School said it was informed ahead of time that Yeap Transport would cease bus services on Nov 4.

By Nov 3, the school had secured alternative bus operators for the final two weeks of the school year and informed parents of the arrangements, it said.

It added that parents were not required to pay for the alternative transport arrangements.

According to the school’s website, Transland is now its school bus service provider.

Cedar Primary School principal Chua Choon Hock said that following the termination of Yeap Transport’s services, the school, which is in the Upper Serangoon area, also made arrangements to ensure that students continued to have access to school bus services for the rest of the term.

Parents were also not required to pay for these services.

“The school has since appointed a new school bus operator for 2025, and parents have been informed. We thank parents for their patience and understanding,” he said.

Cedar Primary’s website lists bus operator SFX Transport as the contact for bus services.

Several international schools – including Dover Court, a British school in Dover Road – were also affected.

Mr Edmund Lee, the director of EML Transport Service, said his company was providing bus services to Dover Court as a sub-contractor for Yeap Transport.

Since Yeap Transport stopped operations in early November, his company has continued to provide services to the school, including shuttling about 950 to 1,000 students in three sessions.

He added that he has worked out an arrangement with the school, and hopes to take over as the main contractor in 2025.

He said: “I stepped in to continue services to Dover Court partially because it is not good for the reputation of the industry if companies can stop services just like that.”

Mr Lee, who is also the chairman of the Singapore School Transport Association, said he remains concerned about Yeap Transport’s workers not receiving their salaries.

This is not the first time Yeap Transport has had problems providing services.

In 2023, St Stephen’s School in Siglap appointed a new bus operator after it and Yeap Transport mutually agreed to terminate their contract.

Yeap Transport had struggled to find enough drivers and buses to ferry pupils after winning the contract.

While the school bus system in Singapore is generally reliable, well-organised and mostly dependable – where buses usually follow fixed schedules to ensure students arrive on time, and drivers are properly trained – it faces some challenges, said the Singapore School and Private Hire Bus Owners’ Association (SSPHBOA) in response to queries from The Straits Times.

However, school bus fees can be high for some families, depending on the distance and bus operator, and families living farther from schools might find the bus routes less convenient, it said.

An increasingly significant issue is also the growing shortage of drivers, SSPHBOA said.

It added: “The ageing workforce and difficulties in attracting younger drivers have led to a shortage, causing some routes to be consolidated or delayed. This impacts the reliability of the service, particularly during peak periods or for schools with higher demand.”