Behind the Wheel: Stories from ANZ Transport Leaders featuring Nicholas Yap

From career journeys and leadership insights to personal reflections and bold ideas—directly from the voices shaping the future of mobility. UITP Australia and New Zealand proudly launches Behind the Wheel, a spotlight interview series featuring leading voices from the ANZ public transport sector.

Kicking off the series is Nicholas Yap, CEO of the Australia Business Unit at ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC).

I stumbled into public transport straight after until in 1994 when Singapore’s bus operator—today known as SBS Transit—advertised for a “Bus Planner who can wrangle numbers and words.” I had a joint degree in Accounting and Law but no desire to spend my life in a spreadsheet or a courtroom, so I put my hand up. 

What hooked me was an amazing set of colleagues and friends, the buzz of the Service Development team, and the thrill of using then‑new GPS tech to tackle what my boss called the “psychology of waiting”. 

From 1999 to 2003 I pivoted to rail, helping craft SBS Transit’s winning bid for Singapore’s Northeast Line — the world’s first fully automated, underground heavy rail metro (GoA 4) and an early showcase of moving block CBTC signaling. Delivering it meant redesigning all bus routes along the 22kilometre corridor so the community could transition smoothly from bus to driverless rail.

That project cemented my belief that public transport is fundamentally about enabling communities — a conviction now captured in ComfortDelGro Australia’s tagline: “linking people, places and communities”.

I have lived in Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne, and each city has shaped me. Melbourne, though, has captured my heart. Its coffee culture fuels conversation; its food scene celebrates diversity and its AFL passion—especially our family’s Western Bulldogs—turns every winter weekend into an event. Watching a game with my daughter at Marvel Stadium reminds me that transport is more than movement; it is how people reach the moments that matter. 

Seeing our people connect everyday tasks to a bigger purpose. We don’t just keep to a timetable; we help nurses reach night shifts, students sit exams and grandparents make Sunday lunch.

Early civilisations sprang up along rivers—today’s lifelines are busways, rail lines and taxi networks, and we’re privileged to keep those arteries flowing sustainably and affordably.

I’d love to see us rediscover the joy of meeting face‑to‑face. COVID-19 accelerated “remote everything”, but research now links prolonged isolation to rising loneliness, anxiety and depression. I don’t pretend public transport is the only answer, yet reliable, welcoming mobility invites people back into shared spaces where the real community happens.

I have two interconnected memories. The first was in 2003, during due diligence on a London bus business ComfortDelGro was acquiring. I worked with Metroline’s CEO then, an early mentor who transformed that operator from league table laggard to leader. He gave me Gung Ho! by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, sparking a leadership philosophy built on shared purpose and celebrating individual contribution.

The second came 15 years later at the opening of CDC Victoria’s Wyndham depot. The building itself was impressive, but what made the day unforgettable was watching a tightly knit team display every “Gung Ho!” trait—pride in purpose, mutual trust and infectious energy—in front of our Board, partners and the transport minister. That culture, not concrete, was the real milestone.