Saying thank you to public transport workers

New initiatives aim to encourage commuters to show appreciation for these unsung heroes

A series of initiatives is being introduced to recognise the efforts of the unsung heroes who make daily journeys possible. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

From bus drivers to train station managers, public transport workers here help ensure commuters safely get to school and work - and back home again - every day of the week, all year round.

Now, a series of initiatives is being introduced to recognise the efforts of the unsung heroes who make these daily journeys possible.

Among the initiatives is a campaign by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) that will use outdoor posters, walkway banners and bus advertisements to encourage people to thank public transport workers.

Commuters can also show their appreciation online by using the hashtag #ThankYouPTWorkers on social media posts.

The campaign will be launched by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng on Oct 21 with an event at Tampines MRT station and bus interchange.

LTA will partner various community organisations and businesses in these efforts, while the four public transport operators - Go-Ahead, SBS Transit, SMRT and Tower Transit - will organise their own initiatives for employees.

This year, the Singapore Kindness Movement has also been conducting activities at schools and student care centres as part of its Friend of Singa and Seed Kindness Fund Junior programmes.

The annual Transport Gold Awards event, which recognises transport workers who have shown "exemplary acts of service", will also be held at the Istana for the first time this year on Nov 1, with President Halimah Yacob in attendance. Awards will be given to 445 transport workers at the ceremony.

In a Facebook post, National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) executive secretary Melvin Yong noted that NTWU was the first to suggest an appreciation campaign for public transport workers. It launched the inaugural Public Transport Workers' Appreciation Day in November last year. That effort was "very well received" by transport workers, he said.

"Thus, we are really happy that LTA, working with various partners, is launching a series of initiatives at the national level this year to show appreciation to our workers," added Mr Yong, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

LTA chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping said: "Our public transport workers are the heart of a people-centric public transport system.

"They work behind the scenes, round the clock, to ensure our public transport system is safe, reliable and comfortable for commuters."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 13, 2018, with the headline Saying thank you to public transport workers. Subscribe