Dear Colleagues,
You can’t fake passion.
It is a motivating and compelling energy that will elevate the work that you do to greater levels of excellence.
In our search for the 2021 PASSION! winner, we looked across our businesses from all over the globe. We were heartened that our Business Units have taken time to nominate well-deserving staff and we received over 40 nominations worldwide.
Of these, 10 exceptional employees stood out. But in the end, only one can be crowned the winner.
Brandon Deutrom from CDC Regional NT (formerly Buslink Alice Springs), won the panel over with not only his dedication but also his passion for his work even though he had only taken over as Depot Manager in November 2020.
As Depot Manager, Brandon, who was entrusted with a great responsibility when CDC Regional NT won a contract to provide school services for Alice Spring School from January 2022 for the first time, faced a crisis when the town was flooded on the very first day of school.
Worried about the safety of both the bus drivers and students, Brandon stepped up to the plate and braved the adverse weather conditions to personally lead and guide the school buses through murky waters and rough terrain. Due to the impact of prolonged flooding, he also had to arrange for more drivers to cover the shifts so that services continued to arrive on time and the students were sent to and from schools and their homes safely. In
fact, Brandon himself took on a few driving shifts.
Beyond the courage and composure shown in the face of a crisis, Brandon also displayed extraordinary compassion for his staff. Knowing that some of his staff needed to find suitable accommodation, Brandon readily housed them in his own home without hesitation when he went on a well-deserved vacation with his family.
That is why it gives me great pleasure to select Brandon as the 2021 PASSION Award! winner. Please join me in congratulating not just him, but the nine other finalists, whose stories you will find in the next few pages of this booklet.
Winner and finalists alike, they have much to be proud of and I would like to thank them for inspiring us all!
Warmest Regards
Yang Ban Seng~ Mr Brandon Deutom never thought that one day he would be driving a bus through murky waters and rough terrain. ~
It was definitely not what Brandon had in mind when he first took on the role as Depot Manager of CDC Regional NT (formerly Buslink Alice Springs) in November 2020.
When CDC Regional NT won a contract to provide school services for Alice Spring School from January 2022 for the first time, Brandon took on the challenges – from recruiting new staff, taking delivery of new buses, to learning more about school bus services – head on.
Unfortunately, despite the best of plans, the town was flooded on the first day of school and all the route familiarisation that the bus drivers went through were thrown out of the window.
Worried about the safety of both the
bus drivers and students, Brandon personally drove a bus out, despite the adverse weather conditions, to lead and guide the rest of the school buses.
Due to the impact of prolonged flooding, Brandon also arranged for more drivers to cover the shifts so that services continued to arrive on time and the students were sent to and from schools and their homes safely. In fact, Brandon himself took on a few shifts.
And that was not the only occasion that Brandon went above and beyond his job to help out.
During the Easter break in April 2021, Brandon also took it upon himself to be on call and to drive a bus when the 10-day Light Festival organiser requested for extra buses at the last minute.
2021 WINNER
BRANDON DEUTROM
Depot Manager
CDC Regional NT, Australia
And in an extraordinary display of generosity and compassion, when Brandon took a much needed vacation with his family for a couple of weeks, he offered his own home to house a few of his staff who needed suitable accommodation during that period.
For his passion, dedication, commitment and compassion shown through the course of his work, Brandon was selected Winner of the 2021 PASSION! Award. Congratulations, Brandon!
~ No task is ever too menial for Mr Bora Fadil. ~
As Garage Administrative Supervisor at Holloway Garage, Bora is always looking at ways in which garage operations can be further improved – and he isn’t averse to getting his hands dirty.
For example, during the pandemic, more bus drivers took to commuting to work on scooters and motorcycles as public transport services reduced their frequency. Staff lockers became too small to store the helmets and they were placed untidily on counters. Extra cabinets were ordered but unfortunately, they came with shelves that were not fixed. Understanding there was an urgent need for storage space for these helmets, Bora took the initiative to buy additional materials such as brackets and plugs and got down to fixing the shelves by himself.
Bora also had to, from time to time, help bus drivers with accident reports. On one such occasion, a young and
inexperienced driver was involved in an accident. While the bus driver had attended to the pedestrian who was injured, he was understandably anxious in the aftermath. Bora took great care and showed sympathy towards the bus driver throughout his interaction with him and guided him to complete the accident report.
2021 OUTSTANDING FINALIST
Said Ms Fola Olawo-Jerome, Manager of Holloway Garage:“Bora is an unsung hero at Holloway Garage. He is accommodating, flexible in his approach and hardworking. He uses his spare time to improve the work environment of others at the garage. I do not hesitate to ask him to complete tasks as I know he will carry out each task promptly, efficiently and to a very high standard.”
An unsung hero, indeed. Thank you, Bora, for always taking the initiative!
Metroline, United Kingdom
GER DOWLING / 57
Customer Service Officer
ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink, Ireland
Length of Service: 7 years
~ The pandemic may have put Galway City through a series of lockdowns in 2021, but it did not stop Irish Citylink Customer Service Officer, Ms Ger Dowling, from travelling to the office whenever a staff was needed to be physically present. ~
More often than not, Ger had to head down to the office at short notices, but she would still do it – without hesitation –whether it was to receive deliveries or to unlock the door for the cleaners.
When in office, she would also take the initiative to collect letters, scan and email them to her colleagues who were working from home. This was extremely helpful to the Finance Department as it enabled them to process invoices on time. Ger continued to do this even after restrictions were lifted simply because it helped to speed up work processes. She even continued to sort the letters on behalf of her colleagues even after restrictions were lifted and more could head back to the office.
go the extra mile to personally send group tours, which are departing, at the coach station to ensure that they were satisfied with the level of service provided. She even did that on her days off especially during the long holiday season when it was extremely busy for the office.
Said Miss Frances Cahill, General Manager of ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink: “When I first joined, Ger patiently answered the many questions that I had on operations in the Group Bookings Department. It was her patience in answering my questions that enabled me to settle quickly in my role sooner than I thought.”
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As a customer service officer with the Group Bookings Department, Ger would
Thanks Ger for always giving more than your best!
In the summer of 2021, there was a day in which Kola chose to report to work a few hours earlier than usual. It became a blessing in disguise as Kola stumbled upon a flooded garage floor and was able to look into it immediately before everyone else came!
Without hesitation, Kola searched the garage and quickly identified that the source of the leakage came from the roof where the ladies’ restroom is located. He immediately contacted the contractor but at that hour, the contractor was unable to make it. As such, Kola shut the restroom’s main door to prevent more water from seeping onto the garage floor and did his best to mop the floor dry by himself.
As that was the only ladies’ restroom in the area, female staff who came to work later had to use the gents instead. Kola would voluntarily stand guard outside the gents to stop his male colleagues from entering until his female colleagues had left. Thankfully, the contractor came later and fixed the leakage.
Kudos to you, Kola!
~ As Garage Administrative Supervisor of King Cross Garage, Mr Kolawole Obasa has come to expect the unexpected.
Cabby
ComfortDelGro Taxi, Singapore
Length of Service: 4 years
Awards:
• National Kindness Award - Transport
Gold 2021 (Outstanding)
• 2021 Excellent Service Award (Gold)
~ Cabby Lam Tze Yuen is always ready to lend a helping hand, even if it is at his own expense. ~
It was raining heavily on New Year’s Day 2021 when Cabby Lam stopped to pick up his passengers. He could have easily stayed in his taxi to avoid getting drenched but instead he got out to open the door for the passengers.
Impressed, one of them wrote in to praise Cabby Lam. He said: “The cabby not only opened the door for us in the rain, but also made sure to ask if the climate control settings were comfortable for us, confirmed our preferred route, and thanked us for being patient due to heavy traffic. Cabby Lam should be the benchmark for all drivers in making the customer feel comfortable throughout the journey.”
On another occasion, Cabby Lam picked up a couple and noticed that
the husband was walking with some difficulty. Cabby Lam immediately offered to assist the passenger, but he declined and managed to board the taxi on his own.
During the journey, Cabby Lam gave the couple a sweet each. At the destination, Cabby Lam did not hesitate and immediately got out of his taxi to offer the husband a shoulder he could hold on to as he got out of the taxi.
The couple was so moved by Cabby Lam’s gesture that the wife later called in to commend him. She said: “We’re very thankful to have met someone like Cabby Lam who went above and beyond to provide good service!”
Way to go, Cabby Lam!
He was involved in not just one, but three separate challenging incidents on the job and dealt with all of them with courage, patience and professionalism.
The first incident was that of a young girl walking barefoot in the middle of a busy five-lane road. That was what BC Ong saw on a Sunday evening as he drove his service route.
Realising that the traffic lights would turn green soon and the vehicles would move forward with the child in their path, BC Ong made a dash out of the bus to reach the child before the unthinkable happened. Thankfully, he managed to reach her in time and carried her to safety.
In another incident that occurred in March 2021, BC Ong noticed a pale elderly lady struggling to board the bus on her own. Without hesitation, he got off to help her and made sure
that he guided her to a seat before setting off. When the elderly lady reached her destination, BC Ong once again helped her down the bus safely before continuing his journey. Many commuters later wrote in to commend BC Ong. The third incident took place in December 2021. Two passengers at the back of BC Ong’s bus were in argument. Sensing the situation might escalate and compromise the safety of passengers, BC Ong stopped the bus when it was safe to do so and intervened.
“He (BC Ong) was very gentle and diplomatic when speaking to the two passengers, but also firm when he needed to, which helped to defuse the situation on the bus,” recounted a passenger who witnessed the whole incident.
SBS Transit, Singapore
Length of Service: 7 years
Awards:
• CARES Q1 Commendation Award 2021
• National Kindness Award - Transport Gold 2021
~ To say that Senior Bus Captain (BC) Ong Shi Chuin had an eventful year would be an understatement. ~ONG SHI CHUIN / 57 Senior Bus Captain
ROBERT BICAKCIAN
Depot Manager
CDC NSW, Australia
Length of Service: 5 years
Awards:
• Recognition – During Extreme Weather
Response
• Recognition – Severe Weather
Response
~ Imagine the only entrance and exit to your depot blocked by a huge tree that had been uprooted by a supercell storm. ~
This was what happened at CDC NSW’s Terry Hills Bus Depot on 8 March 2021 when a supercell storm hit the north coast of New South Wales (NSW). Not only did it disrupt traffic, but heavy rain and strong winds had also uprooted a 20-metre tall tree, and it had landed at the depot’s only entrance and exit.
As a result, services came to a standstill.
Depot Manager, Mr Robert Bicakcian, had to think quickly as his concern was that of the community. He knew he had to get the tree removed as soon as possible and to get the bus services back up. He immediately called the local State Emergency Services and had them come to the depot to remove the tree.
While that was in progress, Robert got down to coordinate the services that had been disrupted. He prioritised school transport services, to ensure students were not stranded and sent safely to their schools. He also arranged for all schools to be notified of any delays and assured them that their students were safe and in good hands.
The tree was finally moved out of the way and services resumed.
All thanks to Robert for acting swiftly! Well done!
As Senior Executive of Fleet Safety Department, Private Mobility Group, Mr Teo Yhee Wei leads by example. This was evident during the COVID-19 circuitbreaker period when staff had to work from home for the very first time.
Being more IT-savvy, Yhee Wei became the go-to person for his colleagues who needed help setting up their laptops and installing software. He would often be at hand to assuage any anxieties that they may have when using new IT devices.
digital learning programme aimed at instilling in our cabbies the importance of safe driving. Throughout the entire project from sourcing of vendors to implementation, which took nearly six months, Yhee Wei worked closely with several cabbies to collect their feedback on their user experience. Initially, the cabbies were not receptive about participating in the trial, citing a lack of time, but were eventually bought over by Yhee Wei’s earnestness and willingness to work around their schedules.
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When tasked to lead the project of replacing the in-vehicle cameras for the entire fleet of close to 9,000 taxis in January 2021, Yhee Wei did so with detailed planning. He also attended to every query from the cabbies. As a result, the project was completed with zero discrepancies and negative feedback. He also led the project to create a
The e-Learning programme was eventually implemented in June 2021 as part of safety training, and has proven to be a significant tool in raising the safety awareness of our cabbies.
Well done, Yhee Wei!
Length of Service: 2.5 years
~ Leadership is not a position or a title. It’s action and example. ~TEO YHEE WEI / 30 Senior Executive Fleet Safety, Private Mobility Group, Singapore
Length of Service: 2 years
As a driver recruiter for Chengdu ComfortDelGro Taxi Co., Ltd, Da Hong would often walk the ground at places like driving schools, driving test venues, vehicle repair shops, gas stations and even restaurants where taxi drivers would gather, to look for opportunities to recruit new drivers.
Despite the pandemic, he continued to do that when he was allowed to and his efforts paid off in 2021. A total of 55 taxis were successfully rented out, meeting the target set by the Company.
Da Hong also took the initiative to not only distribute pandemic prevention materials, but also carried out temperature taking and taxi disinfecting duties. It become such a routine for Da Hong that once a week, he would be outdoors for almost eight hours disinfecting close to 500 taxis!
Said Da Hong: “I was a cabby once and I know how tough it can be, so I will do what I can to keep our cabbies safe so that they can continue to support their families.”
Indeed, Da Hong was so empathetic that he once travelled 50km out of Chengdu to Pengzhou in Sichuan Province at 11pm just to collect a taxi back when the ex-cabby, who had defaulted on rental payment, refused to return it to the Company any earlier.
As he was unfamiliar with Pengzhou, he spent another 1.5 hours finding the taxi. Only then could Da Hong process the paperwork, which took another hour, before driving the taxi back to the Company. By then, it was already in the wee hours of the morning.
That is true dedication! Thank you, Da Hong, for your sacrifice!
~ When the taxi industry in Chengdu was battered hard by repeated COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021, Mr Zhang Da Hong was going the extra mile. ~
The City of Shenyang might have gone into a lockdown due to COVID-19 since early-May 2020, but Cabby Zhao Yu Hai and his Lei Feng fleet were far from being shut down.
To prevent viral transmissions within the Shenyang populace, the Shenyang Municipal Government and Transportation Bureau needed a team to provide passenger transfers between Shenyang Taoxian International Airport and Shenyang North Railway Station non-stop for 24 hours.
Stepping up to the plate were Cabby Zhao Yu Hai and his Lei Feng taxi fleet. Named after a Chinese military hero, the Lei Feng taxi fleet has been organised by the Shenyang Municipal
Transportation Bureau since 2018 to carry out public welfare activities. So, it was no surprise to Cabby Zhao that the fleet would be activated again for a time such as this.
Cabby Zhao quickly got down to select the cabbies and deployed a total of 14 taxis from the Lei Feng fleet, including his own, to a closed loop transport circuit to ferry residents from medium- and high-risk areas. This went on daily for about three months!
By the time the trips were no longer needed, Cabby Zhao and his team of Lei Feng cabbies had provided more than 7,000 trips, much to the appreciation of the Government.
Cabby
Shenyang ComfortDelGro Taxi Co. Ltd, China
Length of Service: 24 years
Awards:
• The Most Lovely Taxi Driver of Liaoning Province • Shenyang Civilised Traffic
Image Ambassador • Shenyang Municipal Five Star Taxi Driver • Model Taxi Driver of Shenyang Municipal Traffic Bureau and Shenyang ComfortDelGro Co Ltd
~ Locked down but not shut down.~ZHAO YU HAI / 58
But that was not all the work Cabby Zhao did during the pandemic.
Cabby Zhao continued to share with cabbies from other companies about his tenure with Shenyang ComfortDelGro Taxi and how he has benefitted from the Company. In doing so, he was able to convince many cabbies to join the Company. In 2021
alone, close to 80 hirers were introduced by Cabby Zhao himself. He said: “I am not just a taxi driver, but a taxi driver of Shenyang ComfortDelGro Taxi. My aim is to help make the name of my Company shine.”
Thank you, Cabby Zhao!
Passion resonates throughout the pages of this booklet. The people featured may be separated by continents but they all pulsate with the kind of energy and enthusiasm that sets them apart from the crowd.
We believe that there are many more like them in our Group. Could it be you? Or your colleague? Perhaps your supervisor or your subordinate?
Help us find them and let us all celebrate their achievements.
AWARD
A cash prize of S$5,000, a trophy, a free trip*^ and a framed certificate await our Passion! winner, He/She will receive the Passion! Award at a lunch^ hosted by ComfortDelGro’s MD/GCEO. This winner’s name will also be engraved on a Hall of Fame plaque which is hosted in our Singapore headquarters.
* Trip includes a pair of economy-class tickets, a two-night hotel stay and a halfday city tour.
^ Subject to change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ASSESMENT PERIOD
From 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022
SELECTION CRITERIA
In general, areas of consideration are as follows:
• Number of service commendations
• Other awards received
• Attendance/punctuality
• Job competency
• Sense of integrity
• Safety and security consciousness
• Enthusiasm/job interest
• Customer focus
• Responsibility
• Special contributions