Text (take) me to LTA

From April Fool’s day onwards, LTA will introduce another way to manage rising public expectation. On top of the usual channels of email, hotline and online forum, public can now send in their grievances through SMS.

Just text your grievances to “77 LTA”, you’ll get an immediate acknowledgement, which is a marked improvement compared to the current practice of within three working days.

The final reply, if any, will be in SMS that is not more than the length of two SMS. It is not clear how long they need to review the “salient points” that you raised, so please refrain from text-ing entries such as the following:

• I waited so long at e zebra xing. Y din the man turns green? (LTA reply: Press the button dude)
• No bus 14 for 1/2 hour then 3 came together. (LTA reply: Bus service provision is under the purview of SBS Transit. By the reply of this SMS we have copy them for their direct response to you.)

So gentlemen, get your fingers moving!

[Post-note: I've received feedback from readers whether this is an April Fool's joke. To clarify, this is real and the news release is attached below (also available here).]

LTA Introduces SMS Channel "77 LTA" (77582)
For Public Feedback
From 1 April 2007

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is introducing a new channel for feedback that allows members of public to reach LTA via SMS from 1 April 2007. The public can forward their messages to "77 LTA" (77582) and senders will receive an acknowledgement that will be automatically sent to them in the form of an SMS.

"77 LTA" (77582) is an addition, and not a replacement for LTA's other feedback channels, namely the 1800- CALL LTA (1800-2255 582) hotline, and Talk2LTA portal (http://talk2lta.gov.sg). For detailed feedback which requires review, the public is encouraged to use LTA's other feedback channel which can serve them more efficiently.

This SMS initiative enhances LTA's ability in connecting with the public. A quick and easy channel to use, "77 LTA"(77582) allows LTA to respond in a concise manner to feedback that are not complex in nature such as malfunctioning of traffic lights or massive traffic jams. Final replies to the issues raised will be capped to a maximum of two SMS replies i.e. 314 characters.

Said BG (NS) Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive of LTA, "LTA is seeking new ways to engage the public as we value constructive feedback that will help us improve our business of catering to the land transport needs of Singapore. "77 LTA" (77582) is a means for us to harness and seize popular mobile technology that will bring the public closer to reaching LTA with their concerns. They now have the flexibility to use mobile IT devices such as mobile phones or Internet SMS channels to raise salient issues for our attention."

28 March 2007