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Buskers bring festive cheer to MRT stations and bus interchanges

SINGAPORE —In the lead-up to Christmas, commuters at some train stations and bus interchanges will be treated to buskers performing festive, jazz and Mandopop tunes as well as wheelchair dancing.

In the lead-up to Christmas, commuters at some train stations and bus interchanges will be treated to buskers performing festive, jazz and Mandopop tunes as well as wheelchair dancing. Photo: Toh Ee Ming/TODAY

In the lead-up to Christmas, commuters at some train stations and bus interchanges will be treated to buskers performing festive, jazz and Mandopop tunes as well as wheelchair dancing. Photo: Toh Ee Ming/TODAY

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SINGAPORE —In the lead-up to Christmas, commuters at some train stations and bus interchanges will be treated to buskers performing festive, jazz and Mandopop tunes as well as wheelchair dancing.

Part of efforts to dole out some festive cheer after a year marked by high-profile disruptions, transport operator SMRT has engaged five groups and solo musicians to liven up commuters’ journeys until Dec 24.

The performers are charity Very Special Arts (VSA) Singapore, wheelchair dance community OnWheels Dance Group, busking duo The Unemployed, as well as Mr Jarvis Quek Shao Bin and Mr Muhammas Firdaus Osman. They will perform at 10 MRT stations and a bus interchange.

At a media showcase during lunchtime at Bugis station on Tuesday (Dec 19), visually-impaired musician Robert Tan, 51, was belting out tunes like Winter Wonderland and White Christmas. Members of the public stopped to listen to Mr Tan, who is with the VSA, and some fished out their mobile phones to film his performance.

Said The Unemployed’s Mr Ang Cheng Wei, 25: “Singapore doesn’t have snow or (live) Christmas trees around, so having such Christmas songs brings out the Christmas spirit and adds to the whole experience.”

Together with Mr Er Young Yee, he usually performs outside Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar MRT stations.

During this period, more than 200 SMRT staff and volunteers will also be handing out festive-themed stickers to the public during lunch- and dinnertime at various locations like Bugis, City Hall, Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands.

Its service ambassadors and frontline staff will sport festive badges to greet commuters, while passenger service centres have been decorated with decals.

Commuters were generally supportive of SMRT’s gestures, which come in the wake of major disruptions such as the flooding in October of a stretch of tunnel near Bishan station, a train collision at Joo Koon in November, as well as shorter operating hours at many stations over weekends for maintenance and re-signalling works.

An IT worker who wanted to be known as Mdm Lim, 51, said the performances would add to the atmosphere. The stickers would be useful for wrapping presents, added Mdm Lim, who was out shopping with her daughter.

Children might appreciate the stickers but other commuters may not, said part-time accountant Shirley Lim, 59. “You can’t please everyone,” she said.

Other commuters preferred reduced transport fares or for donations to be made to charities such as old folks’ homes.

The Land Transport Authority piloted busking at five MRT stations from July 2014 to Feb 2015 before expanding the initiative to 10 more train stations in Oct 2015. It aimed to improve commuters’ experience while providing a platform for local performers to showcase their talent.

 

 

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