New bus drivers, who want to obtain their licence, will now have to go through an additional centralised training programme conducted by the Singapore Bus Academy, which was officially opened yesterday. The first batch of 30 trainees will start the programme at the end of this month. An estimated 2,000 new bus driver are expected to go through the programme every year. 

The five-day Enhanced Vocational Licence Training Programme will cover foundational topics such as the public transport industry, omnibus driver's vocational licence and regulations, bus ticketing system and common fleet management systems, customer service, and safe driving.

It will complement public bus operators' existing training programmes for the Omnibus Driver's Vocational Licence - the industry requirement for public bus drivers. The programme will be conducted in both English and Mandarin by in-house trainers, as well as those from the National Transport Workers' Union, SBS Transit, and SMRT.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo, who attended the opening, noted that the academy is part of the strategy 'to raise professionalism through enhanced training'. She added that the Land Transport Authority and the Employment and Employability Institute will provide training grants to cover around two-thirds of the programme fees for all local bus drivers.