Singapore to ban ferrying workers in caged lorries from 1 January 2027

On 4 March 2026, Singapore announced that it will ban the ferrying of workers in caged lorries from 1 January 2027, citing safety risks to passengers seated on rear decks.

The measure was unveiled during the Committee of Supply debate for the Ministry of Transport by Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling.

Government to phase out caged lorries for worker transport

In her speech, Sun said the Government had been working closely with industry and non-governmental organisations to improve worker transport safety.

“We have made good progress introducing requirements for lorries ferrying workers to be fitted with canopies and higher protective side railings, have lower speed limits and to meet minimum space requirements,” she said.

She added that, in consultation with tripartite partners, the ministry would “take a further step”.

“From 1 January 2027, we will no longer allow the ferrying of workers in caged lorries,” Sun said.

She explained that “caged lorry decks present additional safety risk to rear deck passengers”.

“For example, if a lorry with a cage door that is latched or locked from the outside is involved in an accident or a fire, workers may not be able to escape,” she said.

Companies may continue using cage lorries to transport goods.

Firms requiring flexibility to transport either workers or goods may replace cage structures with canopies, side railings and rain covers.

“I thank the NGOs for this suggestion and their patience while we assess the risk,” Sun added.

Long-standing safety concerns

Civil society groups in Singapore have long advocated imposing a total ban on transporting workers on the backs of lorries.

Advocacy groups have cited data showing that between 2020 and 2024, an average of 161 workers were injured each year while being transported on lorries.

In 2023, more than 50 community organisations signed a joint statement opposing the continued use of lorries to ferry workers.

The groups argued that lorries are not designed to carry passengers and expose workers to risks including severe injuries in traffic accidents, heat stress and heavy rain.

They highlighted that between 2011 and 2020, 58 workers died and 4,765 were injured in lorry-related accidents.

Signatories called for safer alternatives such as shared buses, minibuses and goods-cum-passenger vehicles to replace open-deck lorries.

However, advocacy groups have maintained that measures such as canopies and side railings do not address what they describe as the fundamental risks of open-deck transport.

Economic and manpower considerations

The issue was raised in Parliament on 23 September 2025, when Sengkang Member of Parliament He Ting Ru asked whether the Ministry of Transport had studied the impact of banning the transport of workers on lorry decks.

In a written reply, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said studies had been conducted but the full economic impact was difficult to quantify.

He explained that the effects would be both direct and indirect, with several factors hard to measure accurately.

One key challenge was manpower.

Shifting all workers to buses would require a significantly larger pool of drivers, in a sector already facing shortages.

Siow noted that hiring and retaining drivers remained difficult even within the public bus industry, despite multiple wage adjustments.

He said the ministry’s priority was to improve safety for workers and that it would continue working with industry associations and tripartite partners to review and enhance standards.

In January, a collision between a car and a lorry along Orchard Road left 13 people hospitalised, including 12 passengers travelling on the lorry.

The previous month, a 33-year-old man was jailed for 27 months after driving at up to twice the speed limit and crashing into a lorry carrying migrant workers in 2023. Nine Indian workers suffered serious injuries, with four requiring surgery.