CaseTrust for school-bus industry being explored
Photo: Don Wong
SINGAPORE — To prevent a repeat of the incident early this year where a school-bus operator came under fire for shoddy service, the Singapore School Transport Association (SSTA) is exploring the idea of a CaseTrust for the industry.
CaseTrust is an accreditation scheme by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) for good business practices. Several industries with which consumers have faced trouble, including spa, travel and renovation, have worked with CASE on accreditation.
SSTA chairman Wong Ann Lin said at the official launch of its premium school transport service yesterday that it is looking at ways to balance parents’ expectations of school-bus fees with the rising costs operators face.
An SSTA spokesperson added that the incident in January triggered its decision to approach the consumer watchdog. He said the SSTA hopes to raise industry standards to give parents and schools “peace of mind”.
Some grouses parents have had with school-bus services include unpredictable fee hikes and, at times, poor service. On the other hand, operators face problems with the frequency of fee collection, among other issues.
Speaking to TODAY, CASE executive director Seah Seng Choon said the possibility of accrediting the school-bus industry is at the exploratory stage as operators tend to be individual players. CaseTrust is usually for legal entities, such as a corporation, and they will have to see how to work around the situation, he said.
Through accreditation, clearer contractual terms between operators and users, proper procedures in fee payment, among other things, could be set, minimising the occurrence of disputes, said Mr Seah. An example of such conflicts is the complaints CASE gets from parents every year on why they have to pay school-bus fees for the school-holiday month of December.
There can also be more transparency during fee hikes, where parents can be notified in advance of the changes, he said. Mr Seah added that an independent study might also be conducted on business costs operators are facing, so the information could be shared with parents. “When they make adjustments, they can at least give a justification,” he said.
Yeap Transport managing director Adrian Yeap agreed that a common problem it faces is the difficulty in justifying the collection of school-bus fees during the school holidays — these usually go towards maintenance of the fleet, he said. Another problem is dropouts midway through the school year, said Cheery Bus Transport Service director Wilson Tan. Clearer terms and conditions on the duration of the contract can help prevent such a situation and stabilise income, he said.
IT consultant Chong Huey Shan, 43, whose two sons take the school bus, said there is little room for negotiation whenever operators raise their fees. More guidelines on the range of fee hikes would help, she added.
Parent Noorulain Sheik Mohideen, 48, hopes to see more accountability in the service standards of bus operators after a driver drove off without waiting for her son. Clearer service standards could also be spelt out, she said.
