Bus Captain's Identification

What perplexed me most is that, you will not be addressed by name whenever you what to identify yourself or to be called upon. In this public transport industry, I am now known as BC19xxx as this is my worker’s identification number and not at all be addressed as Wong Kam Wah for once till to date! Amazing, right?

I still do not understand how this current identification standard operational procedure did come into practice, in the first place. Perhaps, it is already started back in the olden days in Hock Lee Bus… 1960s. (or perhaps, I am wrong)

Is it appropriate to address someone just by a number? Or is this the most pragmatic, effective and efficient form of looking for the Bus Captain? Either you are from China, Malaysia or Singapore; you will be addressed by your work identification numbers or employment number. Perhaps, a veteran Bus Captain, that are reading this blog post; could help to shed some lights on this preferred identification method.

To date, I have worked some 30yrs, and this is the 1^st time that, I am been addressed as such or been paged by the public address at the interchange. Of the last 30years, some 20years, I worked with MNC; and I will always been addressed either by my given name or my abbreviation, KW.

I don’t think, this is acceptable by Western cultured company; and I will keep in view and see what will be the standard operational practice preferred by Transit Tower (TT), a London transport based company on this subject matter.

Note: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd is a London based transport company that had been awarded the 1^st bus contracting model by LTA and including some 380 buses. TT is now the 3rd public bus operators here in Singapore; and service operation is expected to be by Q2 2016. TT will take over the bus services of Bukit Batok Interchange, Jurong Interchange and Clementi Interchange.

            I will stay tuned on this subject….come Q2 2016.