Farmway LRT

As speculated in the post of "New MRT Map", SBS Transit has confirmed that Farmway LRT station is opening this Thursday (15 Nov 2007).

With the opening of Farmway LRT station, residents staying in Blk 316 to Blk 318 can finally enjoy a shorter walk to LRT access. Before the opening of Farmway, they need to endure more than 400m walk to Tongkang LRT.

Having said so, the residents still need to endure a long 13-min LRT ride to and fro Sengkang town centre if they happen to travel during morning and evening peak hours -- being the firsts to board LRT in the morning peak (to be exact, before 3pm) and the lasts to alight in the evening peak (to be exact, after 3pm).

More expensive to travel by bus than train

Come October 2007, public transport fares are going up again. To be exact, only bus fares will see an increase while train fares will be unchanged.

In announcing the latest fare hike, Public Transport Council defended its decision to approve this year's fare revision: both wages and transport fare affordability improved, and the profit of operators are not excessive, so there are no "extenuating circumstances" not to grant the full 1.8% allowed this year to buses. The same fate cannot be said of train: their profit indicator is showing that they are performing too well last year to deserve a fair revaluation of their fares.

As such, the decision to raise only bus fares but not train fares created an interesting phenomenon. Train systems are known to be expensive to operate, which is why it goes without dispute that train fares are higher, if not comparable, to bus fares in almost all cities in the world. The latest revision bucked this trend. In fact, we might have created a world first in land transport industry by allowing bus fares to be more expensive in close to half of the approved fare band.

Responding to PTC's announcement, SMRT rightly pointed out this:

“The latest increase in bus fares will cause SMRT train fares to be cheaper than bus fares in five out of the eight fare bands.”, said Mr Yeo Meng Hin, Deputy President & Chief Operating Officer, SMRT Corporation Ltd

To illustrate this awkward trend, please refer to the graph I've drawn up below (you may wish to click on it to see an enlarged version).


Note that the fares quoted above is for Adult ez-link fare, and the band is following train fare band which has finer graduation of 16 bands compared to bus fare band which has only 8. As you can see, bus fares are more expensive than trains for travel up to band 7, which is the equivalent of about 12km travel. If you're travelling from the city, it is roughly equivalent to travelling from city area to either Buona Vista (west), Paya Lebar(east) or Bishan (north).

Come 2007, do think twice about hopping on a bus for short trips. If you're travelling a distance less than about 12km, it is cheaper to travel by train than bus. You could potentially save up to 11 cents per trip!

For more information, please refer to the following press releases:

• PTC
• SBS Transit
• SMRT

Top management of LTA, SBS Transit and SMRT

After the Nicoll Highway incident that claimed three lives and delayed Circle Line project, LTA welcomed a new CEO Mr Yam Ah Mee. Except for a few minor reorganisation to ensure more safety, LTA's top management was pretty stable. However, there had been some turbulence over the past year. Two top management left in late 2006. Now, another two left. The latest departure is reported in an article by Straits Times (attached below).

2 more directors quit

THE Land Transport Authority, beset with top-level resignations in recent months, has lost two more group directors.

Group director of roads Tham-Lee Siyou Kim, who is in her 50s, has quit. So has Ms Rebecca Teo, 47, group director of corporate services. Both left in May without new jobs. They were among nine top managers reporting to chief executive Yam Ah Mee, 49.

In January, deputy chief executive Low Tien Sio and director of policy and planning Eng Sok Yong quit.

Mr Low, 60, is now with a team building the Sentosa integrated resort, while Ms Eng, 39, is with corporate development at transport group SBS Transit.

Other LTA honchos who have left include former chief executive Ho Meng Kit, 50, and director of projects Rajan Krishnan, 56, who left soon after the Nicoll Highway collapse in 2004.

With the latest departures, Ms Maria Choy, in her late 50s, is the only 'old guard' LTA group director remaining. She heads the vehicle and transit licensing unit.

Source: The Straits Times (17 July 2007)

Unless we have insiders' news or the press decided to investigate further, we would not know the reasons of their departure. It just quite bewildering that top management people are leaving a company without a job. I do reckon they could be retiring early. However, that contravenes the government's effort in promoting a more elderly workforce.

For SMRT, all the old guards of former bus company TIBS had left, with the exception of Mr Morris Piper. The departure were inevitable for a merged company as it is usual that the staff in the acquired company leave. The only surprise is the departure of former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr Patrick Lau, who left in 2006. He is now heading a company reproducing famous art works.

For SBS Transit, Executive Director Mr Ong Boon Leong left in April 2007 to heed higher calling. There are no other departures.

Out of the three organisation, SBS Transit seems to be the only organisation with stable top management. In fact, they manage to rope in former LTA high-flyer Ms Eng Sok Yong to join as Senior Vice President (Corporate Development). With her experience in LTA, she now oversees the departments in the support area, with key focus on finance, human resource, information technology and corporate communications.

Personally I feel that such drastic movement is unhealthy. Especially in this times where the land transport industry is at an important juncture. LTA is currently undertaking a review of the industry, and it is better to have people who understand the land transport industry. Nevertheless, having new blood could bring fresh perspective to this industry that had seen little progress in recent years.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Another campaign from SBS Transit

Back in February 2007 when SBS Transit launched its third campaign, I postulated that the next campaign would be "Press the bell early campaign". I was proven wrong.

Today, SBS Transit launched another campaign again. This new campaign takes on the same spirit as the previous campaigns of educating passengers or road drivers to exhibit desirable behaviour to improve bus operations. The essence of the campaign is all summarised in its punchline campaign title of "Stop Bus Captain Assaults Campaign".


In the press release (attached below), SBS Transit justifies its effort in promoting a stress free environment for its Bus Captain: that the abuse rate on its bus drivers has increased more than 100% compared to last year. Passengers are urged not to be coward and should lend a helping fingers to the bus drivers by dialling the Police to report the abuse.

My comments: it is better still if we can lend a helping arm/hand to the bus drivers -- by separating the abuser from the bus drivers (not adding on to the punches which is a criminal offence by Singapore Law!). [Thanks Samuel for his suggestion which provided the punch/kick needed for this post.]

SBS Transit Launches Campaign to Stop Bus Captain Assaults
21 June 2007

The punches rained down on his head without warning - all because he declined to hold up an entire busload of passengers for one guy who wanted to finish his cigarette at the bus stop.

Such brutish behaviour is inexcusable - especially since it is causing hurt and injury to people who are just doing their job.

In the first six months of this year, there have already been 18 cases of assault on Bus Captains - more than the 14 in the entire year of 2006. There have been incidents of Bus Captains being slapped, punched and even kicked.

It is for this reason that SBS Transit has decided to launch a campaign to stop Bus Captain abuse. From today, posters will be put up on all of its 16 bus interchanges and 18 terminals. The interior panels of SBS Transit's 2,800 buses will also be installed with the pin-ups to encourage commuters to lend a helping hand to Bus Captains by reporting to the Police any assault that they witness.

SBS Transit Chief Operating Officer, Mr Gan Juay Kiat, said: "Our Bus Captains like anyone else, have the right to work in a safe environment. They should not have to work in fear as they carry out their daily duties. We are dismayed and at disgusted at what some commuters have done to our Bus Captains. Therefore, to protect our Bus Captains, we will take action against their assailants where appropriate."

"While the incidents may not be rampant, they are significant enough to be a cause for concern. We know that there are many good Samaritans out there who have tried to stop such abuse and we thank them for their help. We continue to seek their assistance of all commuters to report such abuses to the Police should they witness any," he said.

Resignation of SBS Transit's Executive Director

SBS Transit has announced the resignation of Executive Director Mr Ong Boon Leong, who has only been appointed as executive director in 2005. This should be a sudden news for most people. His departure could also be sensitive in view of the ongoing public transport industry review and the rumoured merger between the two land transport rivals, ComfortDelGro and SMRT.

However, the news should be less shocking to investors, as there were already some telling signs about a month earlier. Ong Boon Leong is one of the top 20 shareholders of SBS Transit Ltd, ranked 16th with 289,500 shares (0.1%). In the past month, many non-executive directors of the company exercised their share options and buy in substantial shares. Other investors are also showing strong interest in the company's stock, which explains why the share prices went up 20% within the past month. However, the only blip amidst the flurry of buying action is the sale of Ong Boon Leong's share, which he reduced from 289,500 shares to a mere 500 shares in end March through sales in the open market at his own discretion.

SBS Transit Ltd regrets to announce the resignation of Mr Ong Boon Leong, Executive Director with effect from 27 April 2007. Mr Ong will be leaving to pursue a Masters in Divinity in Vancouver, Canada. The Company is grateful to Mr Ong for his invaluable contributions and the good stewardship that he provided as Executive Director.

Source: SBS Transit

SBS Transit will lose a key driving force for the company. From my understanding, he was the one who pushed for the aggressive expansion of the bus network, which saw SBS Transit introducing a record number of 21 new services in year 2005. Under his leadership, he has pushed for an all-out-attack strategy that challenge every front of SMRT bus and train services, so much so that they are pressed to introduce more bus services at the expense of their profitability to counter the negative publicity they received for their laggard bus services initiatives.

The press release on Mr Ong Boon Leong's departure was clear and definitive in pointing out that he left the company for a higher calling -- he will be pursuing Masters in Divinity in Vancouver. For those who are unaware, a Masters in Divinity is a prerequisite for full time church ministry, and one of the best seminary, Regent College, happens to be in Vancouver.

Mr Gan Juay Kiat will be appointed as the Chief Operating Officer a day after Mr Ong Boon Leong departs. Godspeed, Mr Ong Boon Leong!

Mr Ong Boon Leong
Executive Director, SBS Transit

Mr Ong Boon Leong was appointed Executive Director of SBS Transit Ltd in 2005. Mr Ong first joined DelGro Corporation Limited in 1994 as Senior Manager, Corporate Development where he was responsible for business development, corporate planning and corporate communications. From 1998, he was concurrently appointed Group Chief Financial Officer.

On his promotion to Executive Vice President in 2000, Mr Ong assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Europe Business, a position which oversees the DelGro Corporation Limited’s operations in United Kingdom and Ireland. Subsequently, in 2001, he was concurrently appointed as Deputy CEO of SBS Transit Ltd. In 2003, Mr Ong assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer. He oversees the day-to-day operations of both the bus and rail businesses.

Prior to joining the ComfortDelGro Group, Mr Ong served in the Administrative Service with stints in the Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Home Affairs. He also worked as an Investment Analyst at Standard Chartered Securities Pte Ltd.

Mr Ong was a Monbusho scholar and holds a degree in Economics from Hitosubashi University, Japan.

Mr Ong was last re-elected a Director of the Company pursuant to Article 103 of the Company’s Articles of Association at the Annual General Meeting held on 27 April 2006. He is a non-independent Director of the Company.

A tale of two companies

Yesterday, Singapore’s exchange market was rife with speculation about a possible merger of the two land transport giants: ComfortDelGro and SMRT. As a result, their share prices skyrocketed between 5.9% and 6.6% at closing.

ComfortDelGro is the “world’s second largest public listed land transport company with a fleet of more than 40,000 vehicles”. It is the parent company for Comfort and SBS Transit which are the market leaders in taxi and bus industry in Singapore respectively. SMRT, the market leader for train services, is a multi-modal public transport company offering train, bus and taxi services, as well as expertise in consultancy and project management in railway systems. Both companies have advertising arms.

In a newspaper report by The Straits Times (attached below), it was reported that ComfortDelGro has submitted a position paper to the Ministry of Transport, giving their two-cent worth on how the public transport industry should be structured. Two specific suggestions are given: to merge with rival SMRT to create one big giant transport company, or to have two separate companies with different areas of expertise – one running buses while another operating trains. (Note: It should be quite obvious that SBS Transit will be the natural bus company and SMRT will be the train company).

It is not hard to fathom why ComfortDelGro is keen to push for the two scenarios because they will have the upper hand in both scenarios. For the first scenario, if they were to merge with SMRT, it would most likely to be a take-over exercise rather than merger. With a market capitalisation of S$4.8 million over SMRT’s S$2.6 million and a ferocious appetite for aggressive acquisition, it would be quite unthinkable that they are willing to “merge” with SMRT. I speculate that they would have said something like this in their position paper:

Having a one giant company would create a company that can offer a holistic transport solution to Singapore with economy of scale. Also, by taking over merging with SMRT, we will hasten the process of achieving our mission of creating the world’s number one land transport operator. This would be Singapore’s pride: the largest land transport operator which is profitable.”

For the second scenario, though left with buses only, they will be able to use buses to compete with the trains by offering point-to-point services and direct bus services which are what the passengers wanted – faster and more direct services without the hassle of transfers.

Hitherto, SMRT has not yet put forth any position paper. Judging by their rival’s move, I would think they would be forced to come out with one. Already, they are managing shareholder and market’s expectation by responding to media about the position paper submitted by ComfortDelGro. A day after the news was reported, SMRT responded:

“(SMRT) Having operated trains and buses for over five years, we have grown to understand the synergistic benefits of a multimodal model. This is our preferred mode.”

What could we read from this statement? It could mean that they are supportive of the merger to create one big giant company, but this is quite unlikely as they will be a takeover subject. Another possibility is that they are against the one-bus-one-rail industry structure advocated by their rival. It is not hard to think why they are against bus-rail competition because the bus company could employ a bus network strategy that degrade the attractiveness of feeder buses to train stations while offering direct trunk services that offer door-step services or point-to-point services to compete with the trains (which SBS Transit is already doing so by replacing feeder services with passing through trunk services). Without the support of feeder buses, the trains will be left with pockets of small catchments area around the train stations.

What then is the government preferred industry structure? Minister for Transport Raymond Lim had previously state that there is no sacred cow that cannot be slaughtered, but they would not be slayed for the sake of doing so. Ultimately, with a pragmatic government, what is more important is to find solutions that achieve the outcome they want, rather than be engaged in an academic argument that debate which theoretical model best fit Singapore.

So far, the Ministry has made clear that in the next 10 to 15 years, the key solution to land transportation is to make public transport more attractive. It can no longer act as a captive market which attracts users who are unable to afford a car. As part of the land transport industry review, Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority have lately engaged the public in first of the many focus groups. One issue touched on is the possibility of bus route-tendering system, where bus routes are centrally planned by an independent body while the operation of the routes is being awarded to bus transport companies through competitive bidding.

In light of this, you might want to add one more possible industry structure to ComfortDelGro’s list: one rail company with multiple bus companies with route tendering.

Let us continue to wait in anticipation for the final outcome of the public transport industry review.

ComfortDelGro shares climb on SMRT merger whispers

Shares in ComfortDelGro, operator of the world's second-largest fleet of buses, taxis and rental vehicles, gained as much as 6.8 per cent after a report said chairman Lim Jit Poh suggested a merger with rival SMRT Corp.

Mr Lim's other proposal reportedly was for one company to operate bus services and the other to run Singapore's subway system to boost the use of public transport. The company does not comment on market speculation, spokeswoman Tammy Tan said.

Singapore is encouraging more people to use public transport to ease road congestion. The Ministry of Transport is reviewing the public transport sector.

“This piece of news could lead to more analysts factoring in the possibility of Singapore having one operator for rail and one operator for the bus system,” UOB Kay Hian analyst Leng Seng Choon said.

Shares of ComfortDelGro gained 13 cents (5.9 per cent), to $2.33 at the close of trading, while SMRT shares jumped 11 cents, (6.6 per cent), to $1.77.

SMRT, Singapore's biggest subway operator, also provides bus, taxi and charter services.

“Having operated trains and buses for over five years, we have grown to understand the synergistic benefits of a multimodal model,” SMRT said in an emailed statement. “This is our preferred mode.” — Bloomberg

Source: TODAY, 21 April 2007

Mega-merger of transport operators or separate all-bus, all-train entities
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

TRANSPORT giant ComfortDelGro's chairman, Mr Lim Jit Poh, has made a formal proposal to the Government on restructuring the public transport industry.

The Straits Times understands he is suggesting two options:

• A mega-merger with rival SMRT to create a single public transport group, or
• Have one operator run the buses and the other, trains.

Mr Lim has in the past mooted 'inter-modal' competition between separate all-bus and all-train operators.

He submitted his paper to Transport Minister Raymond Lim, following the ministry's call six months ago for an industry review to raise public transport ridership sizeably.

The paper was mentioned in the latest annual reports of ComfortDelGro and its subsidiary SBS Transit, although its contents were not revealed.

The Transport Ministry would not say what ComfortDelGro has proposed, but its spokesman said: 'We treat these as useful inputs coming from a key stakeholder and will give due consideration as part of the ongoing land transport review.'

The ministry is expected to release results of its review by year-end.

Currently, the two key stakeholders - SBS Transit and SMRT - have bus and train operations. SBS Transit does not make much money from rail and SMRT does not make much from buses.

Caught in the middle are commuters who complain that travel in many parts of the island is far from 'seamless'.

In the present set-up, commuters find they require more transfers to get to their destinations because too many bus services were removed to avoid duplicating MRT services.

In his chairman's statement, Mr Lim said: 'I note the public calls for more competition. I also note the cry for centralised and integrated services. These are extreme positions.'

In its General Household Survey 2005, the Department of Statistics found that although buses were the public transport network's fastest way to get around, the proportion of commuters who could take a straight bus to work had fallen from 25 per cent in 2000 to 21.9 in 2005.

The proportion who had to take both bus and train went up from 13.9 to 15.1 per cent.

Asked for her comments on the two options, SMRT president Saw Phaik Hwa said it was unnecessary to overhaul the industry, but improvements could be made.

Ms Saw said a bus-versus-train set-up could mean duplication of resources and, as a result, higher fares. She also said it may not be environmentally sound.

'That's what's happening in Hong Kong, where you see buses occupying five lanes in Causeway Bay. The pollution is bad,' she told The Straits Times yesterday.

The suggestion for one operator to run all the trains was made in 2003 by former transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong, who said 'a lot of the overheads can be saved'.

He even said SMRT would be allowed to operate all future lines if it took over SBS Transit's North-East Line (NEL), which was loss-making then.

Ms Saw said she would not acquire a loss-maker.

But last year, the NEL became profitable. Asked if she would now reconsider her position, Ms Saw said: 'I don't have a problem running the NEL, but the price must make sense. It's a business deal.'

Source: The Straits Times, 20 April 2007

Google Map showing bus arrival times

SBS Transit recently launched iris NextBus service -- an online enquiry that tells when the next bus is arriving at a bus stop. It is a good initiative, but the website is cumbersome to use as you have to click through drop-down menus to search for your bus number and bus stop. Also, only one service is available at any one time.

Singeo has overcome the limitations by using Google Map. It displays all the bus stops on an easy to read map. From the map, just click on any bus stop to show a pop-up window that lists all the services available from the bus stop, and click on the service number will link you to SBS website for the next bus timing.

This is a demonstration so only bus services along East Coast Road and Marine Parade Road are available for this demonstration copy. Try it -- it's pretty cool!

Screenshot of Google Map showing bus stops

Screenshot of iris NextBus

New bus service guides

Has anyone noticed the new bus guides? There are two new bus services guides: one for Yishun Town and another for Woodlands Town.

click here for pdf version

click here for pdf version

Basically the new guides show all the trunk bus routes originating or passing through the town, together with a feeder map showing feeder services from the town interchanges and its connections with trunk services at key stops along the route. Put it simply, it’s basically a revamp of TransitLink Guide showing bus routes as colourful lines and how they connect to each other.

If you’re keen, you can get a copy from MRT stations (I picked up mine from Marsiling MRT station and Yishun MRT station). Alternatively, softcopy is available on the web (click here).

However, only SMRT bus routes are shown. This means that a number of SBS services that ply the two towns are left out. For your benefit, you may wish to note the following additions to make the map complete:

• 160: Jurong East to Woodlands/Johor Bahru
• 170: Queen St to Woodlands/Johor Bahru
• 161: Woodlands to Sengkang/Hougang
• 168: Woodlands to Tampines/Bedok
• 39: Yishun to Pasir Ris/Tampines
• 85: Yishun to Sengkang/Punggol

On another note, such maps are not new. SBS Transit had done something similar, which they call it “SBS Transit Guide”. However, the guide only mapped out the feeder network. Attached is a snapshot for your reference.


So which do you prefer? I prefer a map comprising all bus services, regardless of which company the bus services belong to. Maybe TransitLink should step in and make the operators work hand-in-hand to provide integrated information leaflets for public.

[Post note: Four more town guides are available online for Choa Chu Kang Town, Bukit Batok Town, Bukit Panjang Town and Sembawang Town. Updated SBS Transit Guide (as at Feb 07) is also available at bus interchanges and MRT stations.]

Three months of cheaper bus and train fares

If there is any transport fare increase this year, take heart that the increase amount will be capped at 1.8%, lower than the 2% increase for GST. The cap is calculated for using a formula that accounts for inflation, wage increase and productivity of operators.

In addition, you may wish to thank PTC for deferring the fare adjustment exercise by three months. Traditionally, any fare increases is effected in July. However, PTC deferred the process by three months last year as it was an exceptional year, and has since decided to reward the passengers with three months freeze on current fare.

It will be even better if they do not approve the fare application by the two operators.

1.8% cap on any bus, train fare hike this year
Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

ANY decision this year on raising bus and train fares will be known only in August at the earliest, instead of the usual May announcement in previous years.

And if the Public Transport Council (PTC) approves an increase, fares will go up by 1.8 per cent at the most, a spokesman for the council told The Straits Times.

For most commuters, this could mean an increase similar to last year's one- to three-cent hike, when the cap on fare increase was set at 1.7 per cent.

The new deadline and the cap on how high fares can go are the result of a change in the formula adopted by the PTC last year to work out bus and train fare increases.

Traditionally, SBS Transit and SMRT submit their applications by May 1, and revisions take effect in July.

But last year, because the PTC was busy adapting to new regulatory powers, the fare adjustment exercise was delayed by three months.

It has decided to stick with the new deadline.

'Operators will have till August to apply. Henceforth, all adjustments will be from October,' the PTC spokesman added.

As for the 1.8 per cent cap this year, it is based on a formula that takes into account current economic conditions, average wage increases as well as productivity gains of the public transport companies. It also allows fares to be lowered when the economy is in deep recession.

Both operators declined to say if they will ask for a fare increase, but it remains to be seen whether the planned two-percentage-point rise in goods and services tax (GST) in July will influence the decision.

A two-point rise in GST to 7 per cent translates to about $22 million in additional cost to the two operators.

Singapore introduced GST in 1994, starting with a 3 per cent levy. It was raised to 4 per cent in 2003, and 5 per cent in 2004.

Although GST was never passed on directly to public transport commuters, it is computed indirectly in the fare adjustment formula, which takes inflation - represented by the Consumer Price Index - into consideration.

SMRT spokesman Goh Chee Kong said: 'The fare adjustment formula takes care of wage increases, Consumer Price Index and productivity. So any increase in GST will be accounted for in the Consumer Price Index.''

In the past two years, the operators cited higher oil prices as the main justification for a fare rise.

A senior transport analyst said GST had never been fully passed on to commuters, but added that 'the formula will prevail because we are not in a deflationary economy'.

Source: The Straits Times, 23 March 2007

Move to the rear bus campaign

SBS Transit launched another education campaign to encourage desirable behaviour among commuters when taking public transport.

The first campaign is "Give Way to Bus Campaign", where drivers are encouraged to give way to buses exiting bus bays. The logo on the right are found near bus stops with bus bays to alert vehicle drivers to give priority to buses.

The second is "Flag the Bus Early Campaign" where passengers are "encouraged to be on the constant lookout for the bus instead of listening to their mp3 players, reading the newspapers or SMS-ing their friends" so that they are able to flag the bus early enough for the bus to stop.

The third and newest campaign is "Move to the Rear Bus Campaign" where passengers are encouraged to "move to the rear of the bus for the sake of getting more people on the bus".

My take on the three campaigns is that they seek to highlight that there are uncontrollable factors beyond bus operators' control which could affect a bus journey. As such, the campaigns seek road users cooperation to fulfill their part of the responsibility so that problems can be reduced or eliminated. (Problems such as buses unable to exit bus bays, passengers complaints about buses not stopping at bus stops, or passengers unable to board the bus even though there are still sufficient capacity). I personally feel that the the impact on commuters would be greater if the effort focus on factors that are within operators' control, such as better scheduling system, less circuitous bus routes etc.

My take on the next campaign? "Press the bell early" campaign.

SBS TRANSIT LAUNCHES MOVE TO THE REAR BUS CAMPAIGN

12 February 2007

A common complaint among bus commuters is overcrowding especially during peak hours. In fact, SBS Transit received an average of 2.3 complaints every day from commuters who failed to get on board the bus.

But it is not always a case of insufficient capacity. Investigations based on records generated by the bus system on board as well as some public feedback have shown that commuters are sometimes responsible for this situation too they dont move to the rear, preferring instead to cram themselves at the front of the bus.

Very often, it is noticed that the front part of the bus is crowded with commuters when there is still space at the rear. This has caused difficulties for commuters at the bus stop to board the bus and sometimes this can result in them being late for their appointments, as they have to wait for the next bus. This prolongs the time spent by the bus at the bus stops which extends the traveling time of the journey for all passengers on board.

In a move to address this situation, SBS Transit today launched a Move To The Rear bus campaign. Land Transport Authority Chief Executive BG (NS) Yam Ah Mee, said at the launch: Todays event is very timely since as you know, Singapore is working to make public transport a choice mode. Today is an ideal time not only to encourage our fellow commuters to move to the rear of the bus for the sake of getting more people on the bus. Today is an ideal time to encourage our fellow commuters to consider all of things happening to make public transport a desirable choice for everyone.

Sometimes our interactions with passengers have a bigger effect on how we feel about a trip, than the trip itself. Perhaps an effort like this will help us to remind ourselves of what we need to do, BG (NS) Yam added.

During the campaign, buses will play a public announcement message encouraging commuters to move to the rear to avoid unnecessary delays. Mr Joe Augustine, a well-known radio personality is the voice behind the English message while Ms Ling Zhi, a popular radio DJ is the Mandarin voice talent. Three services, namely Services 15, 27 and 36, have been selected to roll out this campaign first. Services 15 and 36, which have a combined fleet of 28 buses, have already been fitted with a PA system while Service 27, with 28 buses, will be fitted in March.

I suppose most people dont realise that by not moving to the rear, they can delay a bus trip or deprive other fellow passengers from getting on board. Thats certainly not considerate. We hope that with this campaign, they will come to realize that by moving to the rear, they too will benefit by making way for others to board. If feedback from the three services are favourable, we will introduce this PA system across our entire fleet of 2,800 buses, said Mr Ong Boon Leong, Executive Director, SBS Transit.

Routes

Service 15
From Pasir Ris Bus Interchange to Marine Parade Rd, via Tampines, Bedok Reservoir Road, Kaki Bukit, Jalan Eunos, Still Road, Joo Chiat Place, Telok Kurau Road and Marine Parade Road (loop).

Service 27
From Hougang Central Bus Interchange to Changi Airport Terminal, via Sengkang Central and Tampines Avenue 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10.

Service 36
From Changi Airport Terminal to Tomlinson Road, via ECP, Marine Parade Road, Amber Road, Mountbatten Road, Temasek Blvd, Raffles Ave, Stamford Road, Orchard Road, Penang Road, Somerset Road, Grange Road, and Tomlinson Road (loop).