Shift Duty Number

(My 1st Revenue-able Service, Svc 178 for 7months)

Initially, I came close to giving out, and throw in my white hand glove, when been confronted by this subject title.

Regardless which particular shift that you are on duty, within a said shift work day (i.e either AM or PM shift); there is what is known as “Shift Duty Number”, SDN. For example the bus service 858 to Changi Airport, it has some 23 shift duty number.

At the beginning of my 1st revenue able service, immediately after my POP; Bus service route 178, an inter-town service route, that plies between Woodlands Regional Interchange, WRI and Boon Lay Interchange, BLI. In this service, it has some 12 set of SDN.

Been tea-leaf-green to this kind of public transport industry operational practices; and do not have much background knowledge on this subject matter, I was puzzled on why the roster supervisor (a bit like, in PCK’s word, play-play) scheduled me, to perform different SDN for a continuous period of  8 work days, without a break in between weeks.

I still can recall, on one instance it starts on a Wednesday, I am on SDN no.1 that requires me to begin my journey from the Woodlands Regional Bus Depot, WRBD at 0505hr and drive (empty bus), to BLI in the western part of Singapore.

Then on the following day, Thursday, it is SDN no.2 that starts at 0517hr; on Friday, it was duty no.3 that starts at 0529hr, and again on Saturday is on SDN no.4, and this continued up to duty no.8. What an upsetting time to my morning bowel movement and unfortunately, I suffered severe constipation to my digestive system-rhythm and have an upset and bloated stomach; as a result, I lose appetite for those entire 8 days.

At this juncture, I was seriously considering and contemplating saying “goodbye”. However, aftermath, before I decided to quit; I spoke and consulted some senior colleague on this so called “play-play stuff”  imposed on me; what I have gone through as describe above is known as “jumping”.

This served as a kind of un-official resilient test meted out to a newly minted BC; whether, I can accept and survive working in this industry while I am still under probation.

 Yo brother, why need to test me out like that!

Subsequently, the rostering supervisor realized that, I indeed survived this imposed SDN jumping ordeal; fast forward, like all others BC colleagues, today, the rostering supervisor, will plan my SDN in such a way that, I can have a “normalized” SDN for at least a few days in a contiguous manner, a rest day in between, and thereafter, will be given another set of SDN. The whole cycle will repeat itself as a norm.

I guess, at that moment, if my will and spirit are not strong, and have a weak mental resilient, I think, I have quitted and may not be around to see the entire process of what is like to be a BC in Singapore.

I most probably will not be writing this Blog Site for your sharing and reading pleasure.

In Summary, for SDN, if you start first, you will end your duty first for that particular shift work day.

A pat on my shoulder, I survived the SDN Bungee Jump!, but I fear that, because of lack of stable daily work pattern and fixed time to report for work, this can be a major hindrance for locals to come on board to join this industry as Bus Captain.