Tower Transit Singapore (TTS) has implemented mid-route driver swaps on Bus Service 858 since 18 March 2025, to reduce driver fatigue.
Bus Service 858 is Singapore’s longest bus route, spanning 73.4km as a loop service from Woodlands to Changi Airport. The route takes over three hours to complete a full trip.
The bus terminals at Changi Airport serve as a looping point for bus services. Bus captains are allocated a short duration of time to visit the washroom at Changi Airport Terminal 2 basement before continuing their journeys. However, this arrangement is not always feasible due to mid-route traffic conditions, and bus captains might have to forgo their break if they are behind schedule.
Tower Transit has implemented an arrangement where drivers will have a scheduled rest at the mid-point, while the bus will be handed to another bus captain to continue the journey.
The change aligns with recommendations from the Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce submitted in March 2025, which advised the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to avoid introducing new routes exceeding two hours in run time and to reduce the length of 54 existing routes that surpass the three-hour threshold where feasible.
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Safety
According to the Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce, longer journeys can result in lapses in concentration and cause stress to bus captains, such as when they feel the urge to use the toilet. This could increase the risk of accidents occurring.
In an article published on 30 March 2025, TTS told The Straits Times that drivers on Service 858 now receive designated breaks of four to nine minutes during peak hours and eight to 15 minutes during off-peak hours. Previously, drivers did not have a scheduled break but could stop briefly to use the toilet.
To support this change, TTS added two additional drivers—one for the morning shift and one for the afternoon shift. A supervisor has also been stationed at Terminal 2 for two weeks (until early April 2025) to assist drivers with the transition. TTS spokesperson Glenn Lim emphasized that these efforts prioritize driver well-being, and feedback from drivers has been positive.
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As of March 2025, drivers of MAN A24 articulated buses on Service 858 were observed not to practice CLOWbus, possibly due to differences in bus type, and not all bus drivers on the route being qualified to operate articulated buses.
Furthermore, having additional drivers on Service 858 to facilitate the driver swap practice adds costs for the operator TTS. Under the Bus Contracting Model, operators are paid service fees based on mileage covered, and are in fact incentivised to operate with fewer bus drivers.
Practice
The practice, known within the local bus industry as CLOWBus (Crew Lay-Over Without Bus) or jumpbus, allows for a single bus to be rostered to multiple drivers to minimize unproductive layover time. This is practiced at bus interchanges or terminals, but has now been introduced to en-route stops to reduce driver fatigue.
Other mid-route driver changeovers where passengers need not disembark are Service 36 at Changi Airport T2, Service 92 at Ghim Moh, and Services 358 and 359 at Pasir Ris.
Other Bus Services
Examples of bus services with long runtimes (not exhaustive):
- SBS Transit: 9, 14, 24, 27, 30, 51, 53, 63, 70M, 81, 107M, 154, 160, 170, 196, 197
- SMRT Buses: 61, 67, 110, 502, 961, 961M, 972, 972M, 975
- Tower Transit: 857, 858, 965, 966
- Go-Ahead: 15, 34, 62, 518