'Will there still be enough trips for our drivers?' Yeo Wan Ling calls for careful worker transition as Singapore advances autonomous vehicles“我们的司机还能有足够的出行机会吗？”杨婉玲呼吁新加坡推进自动驾驶汽车之际，谨慎地进行员工过渡。
Labour MP Yeo Wan Ling warned that workers must not be left behind as Singapore advances autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 7), she said taxi and private-hire drivers are increasingly anxious about what the technology could mean for their livelihoods.As Singapore moves towards wider deployment of passenger AVs, drivers need greater clarity on how the...
Labour MP Yeo Wan Ling warned that workers must not be left behind as Singapore advances autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 7), she said taxi and private-hire drivers are increasingly anxious about what the technology could mean for their livelihoods.
As Singapore moves towards wider deployment of passenger AVs, drivers need greater clarity on how the shift could affect their jobs and earnings, she added.
Yeo, who is assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, recounted a conversation with a driver who asked whether the more than 10,000 rides taken on autonomous shuttles in Punggol could eventually translate into 10,000 fewer jobs.
"Of course, the answer today is no. These are trials, and those rides are not equivalent to 10,000 displaced commercial taxi or PHV trips," said the Punggol MP.
But to the driver, a trip taken on a self-driving vehicle could eventually mean one less trip for him.
"So the question behind his question is one we have to answer: when AVs eventually operate commercially and at scale, will there still be enough trips for our drivers to earn a decent living?" asked Yeo, who is also executive secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union.
The House is debating the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill, which proposes extending the existing regulatory sandbox under the Road Traffic Act for AV deployments on roads to December 2028 among other legislation.
Driving is honest, proud work
At the National Day Rally 2026, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the Government will progressively scale up AV deployment to meet growing transport needs, and support workers through the change.
Yeo said in Parliament on Wednesday that more than 70,000 people work as taxi and private hire drivers, and called for the transition to be managed "carefully".
"Driving has been an important employment buffer for generations of Singaporeans," she said.
"Many of us grew up knowing an uncle, an auntie or a neighbour who drove taxis. In fact, many of us sitting in this Chamber today grew up with a parent who proudly made a living as a driver.
"This was honest work that put food on the table, paid school fees, raised families, and sent children to university."
She noted that many Singaporeans still turn to driving after losing their jobs, while between jobs, or because they need the flexibility to care for children or ageing parents.
'When other doors closed, this was one door that remained open,' she said.
Yeo sought more information on the timeline of AV deployment, asking when the Government will consider AVs to have moved from experimentation into something capable of affecting the existing market.
She also asked how the impact on workers will be measured and reiterated that workers "need a meaningful seat at the table before decisions are made" to provide valuable insights.
As the Government prepares workers for new opportunities in the AV ecosystem, it must also ask what jobs those workers are transitioning into, what incomes those jobs provide and how many such positions are available, she said.
Career transitions must centre on workers, instead of "expecting the worker simply to fit the transition programme", she added.
Yeo supported the Bill, but stressed: "Embracing technology and protecting workers are not opposing choices... But workers must be part of the transition, not an afterthought to it."
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
工党议员杨婉玲警告说，随着新加坡推进自动驾驶汽车（AV）技术，工人的利益不应被抛在后面。她在周三（10月7日）的国会发言中表示，出租车和网约车司机越来越担心这项技术会对他们的生活造成怎样的影响。
她补充说，随着新加坡逐步推广载人自动驾驶汽车，司机们需要更清楚地了解这种转变会如何影响他们的工作和收入。
全国职工总会助理秘书长杨先生讲述了他与一位司机的对话，这位司机问，榜鹅超过 10,000 次的无人驾驶班车出行最终是否会导致 10,000 个工作岗位减少。
“当然，今天的答案是否定的。这些都是试验，这些乘车次数并不等同于 10,000 次被取代的商业出租车或私家车出行，”榜鹅国会议员说道。
但对司机来说，乘坐自动驾驶汽车出行最终可能意味着他可以少跑一趟。
“所以他提出的问题背后其实是我们必须回答的问题：当自动驾驶汽车最终实现商业化和大规模运营时，我们的司机是否还有足够的出行机会来赚取体面的收入？”全国运输工人联合会执行秘书杨先生问道。
众议院正在辩论《陆路交通及相关事项法案》，该法案提议将《道路交通法》下现有的自动驾驶汽车道路部署监管沙盒延长至 2028 年 12 月，此外还有其他立法内容。
开车是一项诚实、令人自豪的工作。
在2026年国庆群众大会上，总理黄循财表示，政府将逐步扩大自动驾驶汽车的部署规模，以满足日益增长的交通需求，并支持劳动者适应这一变化。
杨荣文周三在国会表示，有超过7万人从事出租车和私召车司机的工作，并呼吁“谨慎”管理过渡事宜。
“对几代新加坡人来说，开车一直是重要的就业保障，”她说。
“我们很多人从小就认识开出租车的叔叔、阿姨或邻居。事实上，今天坐在这个议事厅里的我们当中，很多人的父母都以开出租车为生，并以此为荣。”
“这是一份诚实的工作，可以养家糊口，支付学费，养家糊口，还能供孩子上大学。”
她指出，许多新加坡人在失业后、待业期间，或者因为他们需要灵活安排时间照顾孩子或年迈的父母，仍然会选择开车。
“当其他大门都关闭时，只有这扇门始终敞开着，”她说。
Yeo 进一步了解了自动驾驶汽车部署的时间表，询问政府何时才会认为自动驾驶汽车已经从实验阶段过渡到能够影响现有市场阶段。
她还询问如何衡量对工人的影响，并重申工人“需要在决策制定之前拥有有意义的发言权”，以便提供宝贵的见解。
她表示，政府在为劳动者迎接自动驾驶生态系统中的新机遇做好准备的同时，也必须考虑这些劳动者将转型从事哪些工作，这些工作能提供多少收入，以及有多少这样的职位空缺。
她补充说，职业转型必须以员工为中心，而不是“期望员工简单地适应转型计划”。
叶女士支持该法案，但她强调：“拥抱科技和保护工人并非相互矛盾的选择……但工人必须是转型的一部分，而不是转型之后才考虑的因素。”
lim.kewei@asiaone.com