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Singapore aims to ramp up autonomous vehicle use to boost public transport network
(www.straitstimes.com)
this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2025
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How does removing bus drivers help encourage public transport use?
Nothing in the article seems to explain how this is better than just adding more buses and bus lines to the fleet. Except this:
“It relieves our public transport system of one key constraint, which is manpower,” Mr Siow said. “And it will add to the range of options that people have in HDB estates.”
Singapore must be a very special place. Never heard of there being a lack of manpower. It's more likely that they don't want to deal with paying this manpower.
Bus drivers are expensive. If you can remove the cost of the driver your typical transit system can run 1/3rd more service to the people. Run more service and your transit system becomes more useful - either you increase coverage and so people can get more places thus they don't need a car, or you run more service on the routes you have and so people don't think a car is more convenient than transit. Either way, this is a big win for people who are using transit as the system is better, and typically that level of service increase will attract people who currently are not using transit.
Of course there are likely costs of autonomous systems as well, and so likely you cannot add that much more service, but any more service is a large win.
It isn't that they don't want to pay these people it is that they cannot! Money doesn't grow on trees, drivers pay needs some come from someplace and that pot is limited. You can talk about increasing that pot, but even if you can do so it is still better to get more transit service.
I don't think you understand how goddamn rich Singapore is...
That increases the cost of drivers. No matter how rich you are there is a limit to how much you can buy.