A 30-year-old bus driver who had been working “special shifts” for the past 11 months passed away in his sleep recently, and local Facebook group members have expressed their concern over bus drivers’ working hours.
A Transmac statement yesterday confirmed that one of its bus drivers passed away recently. The statement said that the driver was a focused and active staff member, adding that in May he had a five days off and a day off on Labour Day. The statement pointed out that the driver had also a day off prior to the incident.
The statement did not specify when the driver died.
The statement said that the driver finished the morning shift of his “special shift” and when he was about to pick up the bus for the afternoon shift, he felt unwell so decided to take sick leave. The statement said that the driver had been working on the “special shift” for 11 months and was used to the working hours.
The statement said that in order to keep up with the demand during peak hours, the company chooses drivers with “good performance” to pick up the “special shifts”. The statement noted that between the morning and afternoon shifts, the drivers have three to four hours break and they get a special subsidy, so the “special shift” has been well-received among drivers.
According to local bus enthusiasts’ Facebook page “Macau Buses and Public Transport Enthusiastic [sic]” the “special shift” is colloquially known as a “four-four shift”, which means that the bus drivers only work during the morning and afternoon peak hours and rest in between. For example, a bus driver works from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. then starts again at 3:30 p.m. and works until 8:30 p.m.
The Facebook page posted about the bus driver’s death on Monday noted that a friend of the deceased told the group that the driver passed away and many of his co-workers have been psychologically affected by the unfortunate event. The Facebook Page pointed out that the incident left his twins fatherless, and a trade union of Transmac bus drivers has issued a notice to urge its members to donate money to the driver’s family.
According to the page, some residents suspect that the incident was caused by the driver’s long working hours, and they have expressed concern over the bus drivers’ “special shifts”, urging the public bus operator to cancel the “special shift” system.
This photo shows one of Transmac’s 26A buses on the road last month. Photo courtesy of the Facebook Page of “Macau Buses and Public Transport Enthusiastic”.
