Celebrating Everyday Heroes On Public Transport

Inaugural Caring Commuter Awards presented at 20th National Kindness Award – Transport Gold 2019  

For the first time, commuters were honoured alongside public transport workers for their acts of care on public transport. At the 20th National Kindness Award – Transport Gold 2019 ceremony held this morning at the Capitol Theatre, 466 public transport workers and five commuters received their awards from Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health, who graced the ceremony as the Guest-of-Honour. 

Of the 466 public transport workers, 26 received the highest accolade for providing exceptional service to create memorable experiences for commuters in their daily journeys. 

Inaugural Caring Commuter Award

The National Kindness Award – Transport Gold recognises individuals in the transport sector who have displayed exemplary service and gracious behaviour. Besides celebrating the achievements of outstanding public transport workers, Transport Gold this year also recognises commuters who have demonstrated acts of care to fellow commuters. This is the first time that an award category has been dedicated to commuters. Introduced as part of the Caring SG Commuters movement, this award arose from commuters’ suggestions during the Public Transport Council’s (PTC) engagement sessions. Between July and August this year, members of the public were invited to nominate commuters whom they have witnessed offering help, or whom they received help from, for the award. 

Among the five winners of the Caring Commuter Award, Mr Lester Wong was given the Outstanding Award, for going out of his way to care for an elderly commuter on the MRT. Mr Wong extended help to an elderly commuter who experienced breathlessness and asked Mr Wong to accompany her home. After sending her home, Mr Wong was concerned that the commuter, who lived alone, may not be able seek any further help. He persuaded the elderly commuter to go to the hospital, and did not leave her side until midnight.

“We all know every gracious behaviour, no matter how big or small, can make a difference to our daily public transport experience. These acts of kindness by commuters and our public transport workers can have a tremendous impact on both the giver and receiver. Such acts are powerful and can motivate others to pay it forward. They are the seeds from which we can nurture the gracious and caring commuting culture we hope to achieve as part of the Land Transport Master Plan 2040,” said Dr Lam.

“Every day, commuters experience acts of care from unsung heroes on our public transport system. The Caring Commuter Award honours these acts of care, such as a commuter who stepped up to offer assistance to a pregnant lady on the MRT, to a young boy who lends his hand phone to a lost child at the bus stop. This new award is an important step towards fostering a caring commuting culture, inspiring more commuters to take that first step and lend a hand to their fellow commuters,” said Mr Richard Magnus, Chairman of Public Transport Council.

Recognising our public transport workers

“Taking public transport is an integral part of everyday life for many Singaporeans. It is made more enjoyable with the dedication and exemplary service of our front line service and back end support staff who have gone the extra mile to create a more gracious environment. Their stories show that we can make a positive difference in people's lives. Let us be greater and work together to make our nation a kinder and more caring society,” said Dr William Wan, General Secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement. 

A caring commuting culture is a shared responsibility to make our public transport journeys more inclusive and pleasant. The awards hope to inspire other commuters and transport workers to go the extra mile to show care for others during their journeys. We would like to congratulate all of them for their acts of care and outstanding service. Please refer to Annex A [PDF, 582 KB] for the list of Caring Commuter Award and National Kindness Award – Transport Gold outstanding award winners, and Annex B for their citations.

About the National Kindness Award – Transport Gold

The National Kindness Award – Transport Gold will be held on 23 October 2019. The event is in its 20th year running and recognises individuals in the transport sector who have displayed exemplary service and gracious behaviour. This award inspires the recipients to continue to shine and influence their colleagues in contributing towards a more pleasant and gracious society. From 1999 to 2018, more than 5,000 courteous staff and drivers have been recognised at the Transport Gold Award Ceremonies.

For more information, please visit: Kindness SG National Kindness Award page

About Singapore Kindness Movement

Kindness is in everyone. The Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) wants to encourage everyone to start, show and share kindness. We aspire to inspire graciousness - one kind act at a time. By sparing a thought for the people around us, we hope to create a gracious society, and make life better for you and me. SKM is a non-government, non-profit organisation, as well as a registered charity and Institution of Public Character.

Please visit on the Singapore Kindness Movement for more information .

About Caring SG Commuters and the Caring Commuter Award

The “Caring SG Commuters” movement began in August 2017, when PTC launched its first two co-creation trials. The trials provided warm platforms for commuters to interact with fellow commuters, encouraging a caring commuting atmosphere to make everyone’s travel experience more pleasant, inclusive and welcoming. Two trials, namely the Heart Zone and related Heartwheels@Linkway, won the UITP (International Association of Public Transport) Asia-Pacific Special Recognition Award in June 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The inaugural Caring Commuter Award recognises public transport commuters who have demonstrated acts of care to fellow commuters during their daily commute. This is the first time since the inception of Transport Gold that an award category is being dedicated to commuters. The Caring Commuter Award is jointly launched by the Public Transport Council (PTC) and Singapore Kindness Movement, and is also part of PTC’s Caring SG Commuters movement.

For more information, please visit Caring SG Commuters