Real-time bus arrival information panels & Key bus services map: Part II

More than half a year ago, LTA introduced two initiatives to enhance public transport information: Real-Time Bus Arrival Information Panels that show estimated bus arrival times, and Key Bus Services Map which shows key bus routes plying city area in pictorial form.

LTA will be installing 20 more Real-Time Bus Arrival Information Panels as "commuters feedback has been positive". This brings the total number of panels to 50. Out of the 20 new locations, 10 will be in the city mainly spread across Chinatown, Bugis and Orchard area, while the rest of the 10 will be equally distributed across the island. If you're eager to find out whether you'll get a chance to see them near your home, please refer to Annex A (link below).

One interesting improvement is that the bus arrival time panels will be upgraded to public transport arrival time panel by including train's arrival information. Two such pilot panels that will carry the arrival times of both bus and train will be put up at bus stops near Bugis MRT station and Chinatown MRT station.

Interestingly, the rational given for choosing these stations is "the bus stops at the stations have a high volume of commuter traffic". I fail to see how this can be rationale for selecting the stations: it is pointless to provide train arrival information to bus passengers if they do not need it, so why choose to conduct a pilot trial of the hybrid panels at bus stops just because they have high volume of commuter traffic? (If you have any slightest clue, do post it in the comment. Thanks.)

What is even more interesting to note is that at the Bugis bus stop, where one of the pilot hybrid panels will be installed, the arrival time of train is already easily viewable from the bus stop at a certain angle. Why conduct a pilot trial at such trivial location?

As I simply can't figure out the rationale behind, I came up with a possible wild explanation. Perhaps, they are suggesting that the bus stops near the MRT stations are crowded, perhaps to a point that is beyond what the bus stops can handle. So, in a bid to reduce the crowd at the bus stops, they are trying out such hybrid panels to entice passengers to switch to taking a train! This is similar to the MRT messages usually heard at busy stations during weekends or festive seasons , which goes like this: "The station is crowded. Please leave the station if you are not boarding the train. Thank you." (Sorry, no audio clip)

Coming back to the point of the rationale of selecting the location of hybrid panels pilot trial, I feel that a more likely rationale should be the bus stops have high volume of transfer passengers to train. The most ideal location that popped into my mind is the bus stop opposite Ang Mo Kio MRT station (bus stop code 54269) along Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. The reason is that the bus stop is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, in terms of passenger traffic, and it is also an important transfer point for many north-eastern residents who take a bus, alight at this stop, and then transfer to Ang Mo Kio MRT station. As the bus stop and the MRT station are a distant apart, placing such hybrid panels will allow the residents to pace themselves so as to catch the next train in time and not wait up to 7 mins or 12 mins during off-peak hours. This thinking is in line with the Ministry's of a "people-centred land transport system". I quote Yeo Ghim Lay's article which state that "Only then can Singapore claim to have the commuter-centric transport system it is working towards - one that, as Transport Minister Raymond Lim put it, has its fingers firmly on the pulse of the people."

The other initiative that also received a boost of proliferation is the Key Bus Services Map. This is essentially is a poor copycat of Spidermaps which was conceptualised by Transport for London (LTA's counterpart in London) -- this is confirmed by a recent interview that Ong Teck Chuan ( Deputy Director, Public Transport Promotion) gave to Straits Times Classified (of course he didn't admit to the poor copycat part).

If you have not had enough of the complicated map that is "designed primarily for tourists and infrequent public transport users", you can download a copy here. If you wish to own a nice huge print-out of the map, it comes free to those who purchase Singapore Tourist Pass, which is available for sale to tourists only (sorry locals!). Nevertheless, you can pick up a copy at Singapore Visitors Centre too.

LTA Extends Real-Time Bus Arrival Information Panels To More Bus Stops

Commuters Find Real-Time Bus Arrival Information and Key Bus Services Maps Useful

1. Commuters will be able to get real-time bus arrival information of both SBST and SMRT bus services at an additional 20 bus stops around Singapore by May 2008. This will help commuters better manage waiting time and transfers, and to make more informed travel decisions.

2. The LTA is extending this initiative as commuter feedback has been positive. In a survey to measure commuter receptivity to the first 30 real-time bus arrival information panels which were installed in July last year, 9 out of 10 respondents polled felt that the real-time bus arrival information panels were useful and important. More than 90% of the respondents hoped to have panels at more bus stops.

3. The additional panels will be installed from 31 March at bus stops with a high volume of commuter traffic (Please refer to Annex A for the full list of the 20 bus stops). Installation of the panels will be completed by end-May 2008. The panels will display the bus services that call at a particular bus stop, the arrival times of the next and subsequent buses for each bus service, and a symbol to indicate whether the bus is wheelchair-accessible.

4. In addition, to facilitate commuters making transfers between rail and buses, the panels at each of the bus stops located near the Bugis MRT station and the Chinatown NEL station will also display the arrival times of rail services at those stations. This additional rail information will be available from July 2008. Two panels carrying the same arrival times of bus and rail services at the bus stops near these stations will also be installed at the station entrances from July 2008. These two MRT stations were selected as the bus stops at the stations have a high volume of commuter traffic. The LTA will monitor commuters' feedback on the usefulness of this additional information before deciding on further roll out.

More Key Bus Services Maps in the Orchard Road and Chinatown Vicinities

5. LTA will also extend the Key Bus Services Maps to the Chinatown vicinity and to more areas at Orchard Road by the second half of this year. These include 35 bus stops along the main thoroughfares of Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road and five bus stops along Napier Road and Tomlinson Road (Please refer to Annex B for the list of the 40 bus stops).

6. LTA's survey showed that 8 out of 10 respondents found the Key Bus Services Maps useful. Nine out of 10 respondents also indicated that they would like to see the Key Bus Services Maps displayed at more bus stops in the Orchard Road vicinity, while 8 out of 10 respondents would like to see similar maps displayed at major bus stops at other key areas or attractions.

7. Launched in July 2007, the Key Bus Services Maps were first installed at 36 bus stops in the Orchard Road area. Designed primarily for tourists and infrequent public transport users, each map provides pictorial information on key bus services calling at the bus stop and the routes they cover. It also indicates the MRT stations along the routes, significant buildings and locales such as places of interests, tourist attractions and major shopping malls.

8. "As part of LTA's on-going efforts to enhance the public transport experience and to empower commuters to make informed decisions when using our public transport system, LTA will continue to explore other platforms on which such information can be disseminated. By working in partnership with commuters and other stakeholders, we can better achieve our aim of making public transport a choice mode for all," said Mr Yam Ah Mee, LTA's Chief Executive.

Source: LTA (28 March 2008)