After her business failed, she followed in her mum's footsteps and became a bus captain

CNA

19 hours ago

Most young girls don't grow up dreaming of becoming a bus captain. That was certainly the case for 45-year-old Chow Pei Guan.
Although Chow's mother herself pilots a bus, that career path never once crossed her mind. 'I always thought it's a man's job,' Chow, who is Malaysian, told me in Mandarin.
When she was in her twenties, Chow had other ambitions. Starting out as a phone shop sales assistant in Ipoh, Malaysia, in 2001, she worked hard to set up her own shop two years later, offering mobile phones, accessories and repair services. One shop grew into four.
However, in 2014, her business began to decline and got progressively worse in 2015 when Malaysia introduced its goods and services tax. ' Products became more expensive and profit margins were squeezed. I had to slowly shut down my shops one by one,' she said.
In 2016, Chow lost her last shop. Then 36 years old, she was at a loss for what to do. That was when her mother, who has been working in Singapore as a bus captain for 28 years, suggested following in her footsteps – compared with running a small business, it was a stable job with decent benefits.
Something clicked, and a year later, Chow came to Singapore to join local public transport operator Go-Ahead Singapore as a bus captain.
AN EXTREME CAREER SWITCH
Usually, when people talk about careers running in the family, they tend to refer to artisan trades, hawker stalls, or even fields like law and medicine.
But you could say bus driving runs in Chow's family.
Her father had retired when she was still growing up, so her mother Tay Kwe Huah became the sole breadwinner. Tay left Malaysia in 1997 to become a bus captain in Singapore.
'Female bus captains were very rare then, more so than today. So I was very surprised,' said Chow. 'It's such a big vehicle, and buses were operated manually then, not auto like today, so it was much harder to drive. I thought my mum was very capable.'
Chow was in secondary school then and came to visit her mother during the school holidays. She recalls spending entire days on her mother's bus, number 62, riding from Hougang to Geylang and back to Hougang to spend time with her mum.
That was some 28 years ago, but the experience remains etched in her memory. She remembers the buildings, ticket inspectors checking tickets, and having lunch with her mother at the bus interchange. Her mother joined Go-Ahead Singapore nearly eight years ago.
So when her mother suggested bus driving as a career after her business failed, Chow was struck by a sense of familiarity. 'If I hang on to the attitude that 'I am a boss, I won't do such jobs', I'd forever be stuck and won't be able to change jobs,' she reflected
'Driving a bus is a service job, like my previous role running a mobile phone shop. It is not that different.'
Persuaded by the job stability she has seen her mother enjoy, she came to Singapore in 2017 and applied for the job.
Chow was the only woman in a batch of six during her training. She was unfamiliar with Singapore roads and driving large vehicles but she pushed through and in 2017, became a bus captain.
The first bus she piloted was bus 381, a feeder service in Punggol. 'I was so nervous on my first day. I had to remember my route, learn how to operate the fare box, and meet so many people. I was so shy that I did not say 'hi' to anyone that day,' she laughed.
But after three or four trips, Chow felt more at ease. And after driving feeder buses for a year, she confidently tackled longer routes.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BUS CAPTAIN
Chow has memorised some 30 different routes that traverse the island. She drives a different route each day to cover colleagues on leave.
Starting her day at 5.30am, Chow works seven- to eight-hour shifts, although on some days, it can run up to 10 to 12 hours. Depending on how short or long the bus route is, she may make two to 10 trips a day, taking 40- to 60-minute breaks after each trip.
After being a bus captain for eight years, sometimes, passengers still look surprised to see her behind the wheel.
'Some aunties will say, 'Wah, it's a very big bus. Can you do it?'' she laughed. 'I will tell them not to worry. I am well trained and will take them to their destination safely.'
The idea that bus-driving is a man's role is outdated, she added. 'Just as there are now stay-at-home-dads, there are also many female bus drivers. We can do it as well as men,' she said.
In fact, since last year, Chow has become a mentor, coaching one or two new bus captains and helping existing bus captains learn new routes each month – this usually takes up a week or two. When she is not mentoring, she drives a bus daily.
One thing she loves about her job is exploring different parts of Singapore each day. Her favourite bus service is 518, an almost three-hour ride from Pasir Ris to Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands – it passes gorgeous city light-ups during the festive season, said Chow who takes this route twice a month.
She also discovers famous local eateries such as Beach Road Prawn Mee and Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre during her daily drives, as well as from passenger recommendations.
She also sees all manner of commuters during her daily rounds – kind passengers who shield others from the rain with their umbrellas, belligerent aunties who cut queues, and students who try to smuggle and eat all types of food on board, including piping hot cup noodles. These quirks add colour to her day.
'There is a child whose school is just across the road from his house. Instead of crossing the road, he will take my bus one full round just to get to the other side of the road to go to school. That's how much he loves to take the bus,' she laughed.
Over time, many passengers have become friends, and some even cook dessert like bubur cha cha for her.
As a bus captain, she also helps the vulnerable in the community, such as seniors and children who fall asleep, miss their stop or get lost.
'For lost seniors, we usually contact our operation control centre who will call the police and assist them when they get to the interchange.
'In the case of lost children, some will cry, so I'll pacify them first. Once we get to the interchange, I will ask them to wait for me, and take them back to their stop on the return trip,' she said.
FINDING LOVE AT THE DEPOT
One thing Chow did not expect was to find love at the bus depot.
It was at the operation control centre that she got to know her husband. They hit it off and the couple began to meet at the canteen, texting each other, and going out for meals. Quickly, a romance blossomed.
'Whenever I encountered obstacles at work, he would comfort me and help me think of solutions. I like how mature he is,' she said.
In 2021, after dating for three years, they got married, and at the age of 41, Chow gave birth to her beloved son. Her mum lives with them now.
Today, she embraces her role as bus captain, wife and mother.
Just as Chow rode in her mother's bus as a teenager, her husband also took their young son for a leisurely ride on her bus last year. 'Now, whenever he sees a Go-Ahead Singapore bus, he will say it's Mama's bus,' Chow laughed.
It is a simple and happy life, Chow said. 'I always believe if you have the right attitude, you can turn your life around at any age.
'After going one big round, I think maybe my fate is somehow tied to bus driving,' she added. 'If I'd known this, I would have switched to being a bus captain a few years earlier.'