Be flexible and allow changes to ActiveSG swimming pool bookings

I swim about once a week, typically at the ActiveSG swimming complexes in Queenstown and Geylang East.

It is time to refine the swimming pool booking system.

Swimmers are unable to cancel their bookings, or change the venues and time slot reserved, after a booking is done.

This has caused inconvenience and unhappiness to me and other swimmers because no one can predict the weather or what will happen on the day of the planned visit.

ActiveSG should be flexible and automatically transfer swimmers to a later time slot on the same day if it rains at the time of their visit.

There is no need to send swimmers home, especially seniors like me. 

For example, swimmers who book a 9am slot to use the pool cannot immediately change their slot to 10am or 11am if it starts to pour.  

Staff members at the complex said that swimmers would get a fee refund and have to go home, even if there are fewer people in the complex during the next time slot than capacity limits allow.

Before the Covid-19 crisis, swimmers were allowed to wait for the rain to stop before entering the pool.

ActiveSG should be flexible, especially when dealing with seniors and the less technologically savvy, instead of turning them away when the weather changes.

From next Thursday (Oct 1), those who fail to show up for three gym and pool bookings in a month will be prevented from booking or using ActiveSG facilities for two weeks, based on a media report.

Is there still a need for swimming pool booking?

Probably not. From my observations, fewer than 15 people use the pools on weekdays, between 9am and noon.

Ideally, do away with the booking system altogether and allow entry to the swimming complexes if they have not reached their capacity limits, as is done at libraries and shopping centres.

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