Crowding eases after injection of buses

SINGAPORE — The number of bus services that were crowded during peak periods has fallen substantially over the past two years, following the addition of 450 buses under the Government’s Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

Giving an update on the programme, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the number of bus services carrying passengers at more than 85 per cent capacity during peak hours had fallen from 96 before the implementation of the BSEP to 38 in July.

The S$1.1 billion BSEP was launched in 2012 to boost connectivity and bus-service levels. Under the programme, a total of 1,000 government-funded buses will be added to the public transport network by 2017.

The 58 bus services that are no longer crowded during peak periods serve various parts of the island. Commuters whom TODAY spoke to agreed that the situation had improved.

Ms Shamima Rafi, 33, general manager of marketing agency The Events Artery, said she had noticed more double deckers for bus service 8,which she takes from Paya Lebar to MacPherson about thrice a week. She added that, with the double-decker buses, she usually manages to get a seat when she takes the service home during evening rush hour.

Visual mapping consultant Tay Xiong Sheng, 28, who takes a bus to work from Woodlands Avenue 3 to Boon Lay, said: “In the past, I couldn’t even board the bus. Now, I can find a place to sit almost all the time.”

Still, 25-year-old engineer Alex Woon said even though bus service 963, which he takes from Hillview to his workplace in Alexandra, is less crowded, he hopes its frequency can be increased.

To date, 144 bus services — or half of the total existing services — have been improved under the BSEP. When it was first announced, the scheme drew questions from observers and Members of Parliament, who wondered why state funds should be used to improve bus service standards.

Writing on Facebook, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said the BSEP has been impactful. “I receive far fewer complaints and much more positive feedback that bus rides are now better, more comfortable, more timely,” he said.

Mr Lui added that when he took on the transport portfolio in 2011, he understood that bus and train capacities had to be increased urgently and service standards raised.

The LTA said the additional buses injected into the network have enabled services to operate at shorter intervals, benefiting commuters whose waiting times have been reduced.

For example, bus service 966, which loops between Woodlands and Marine Parade, currently runs at a frequency of four to eight minutes during morning peak hours, and six to 13 minutes during the evening rush hour. Previously, commuters had to wait between six and 10 minutes in the morning and from nine to 16 minutes in the evening.

Over the past two years, 31 new bus services have been rolled out. Of these, 21 are run by public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT, while the remaining are City Direct Services operated by private bus operators.

In addition, five supplementary bus services and nine Peak Period Short Services have been introduced in various housing estates.

The LTA said that, between July and last month, additional buses were deployed for 43 bus services during morning and evening peak hours. In all, 570 weekly peak-hour bus trips were added.

Separate from the BSEP and as part of the quarterly bus service review process, SBS Transit and SMRT have also improved 17 bus services, adding 60 weekly trips during peak hours.

Between this month and December, 100 more buses will be rolled out under the BSEP, said the LTA.