Three veteran bus captains honoured for decades of spotless safety records
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SINGAPORE: For senior bus captains Chan Chee Men, Choe Kim Tong, and Han Zheng Dong, being behind the wheel has never just been about getting passengers from one stop to the next. To them, every ride is about safeguarding lives, which is a responsibility they have upheld with quiet dedication for decades.
Their commitment was recognised at the Singapore Road Safety Awards & Seminar 2025 held on Sep 4, where Mr Chee Men and Mr Kim Tong received the Safe Driver Excellence Award for an extraordinary 27 years of accident-free driving. Mr Han was also honoured with the Safe Driver Merit Award for his own remarkable 17-year clean record.
These achievements reflect more than spotless safety records. They highlight the drivers’ daily discipline of having to stay alert through long shifts. Furthermore, the award is proof of their efforts to navigate unpredictable roads, bear with severe traffic conditions, and put passenger safety before everything else.
Mentors on the road
Beyond their personal milestones, the three veterans have also become mentors to younger bus captains. Mr Chan Chee Men, for example, is known for reminding trainees: “When your hands are on the steering wheel, you hold the lives of your passengers. This is not a responsibility to take lightly. Always drive safely and get home safely.”
This advice goes beyond any rulebook or manual of procedures. It serves as a reminder that public transport is ultimately about people, not just vehicles or schedules.
Read related: SBS Transit receives Friend of Singapore Red Cross Award for supporting vulnerable communities
Netizens express their congratulations
Over on Facebook, the awardees drew warm congratulations, where one commenter cheered simply, “Great!” while another added, “Congratulations!” A more lighthearted note came from someone who wrote, “Well done, SBST! Hope their pay increases, as well.”
The responses reflect a shared sentiment: recognition is important, but so too is ensuring that those who keep Singapore moving are valued not just with awards, but with fair rewards.
Why this matters
In a city where millions rely on buses daily, safe driving should not just be a professional standard, but also be about gaining the people’s trust. The recognition of these bus captains puts into the spotlight all the unseen efforts of those who keep Singapore’s roads safe and journeys uneventful.
Their awards may be individual, but they represent something beyond; it’s a feat that’s shared across the countless lives touched by their steady hands at the wheel. It’s for all the commuters who arrived at work safely, the students who got to school with everything intact, and the families who returned from their vacation unscathed.
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