More full day bus lanes from 2 June 2008

As promised by the Minister for Transport in his Land Transport Review announcement in Jan 2008, full day bus lanes will be expanded to more locations in Jun 2008.

A map summary of the different implementation phases of the full day bus lanes is shown below. Please click on the link to view the expanded map which include more details. LTA's news release on the same subject is also appended below.

Interestingly there was no mention of the "trebling of full-day-bus-lanes from 7km to 23km" as mentioned in the Land Transport Review. Suspecting something is amiss, I did some measurement. The result? The expanded scheme to be implemented in Jun 2008 is at most 15km, which is no where near the promised trebling. Please correct me if I'm wrong. :)

View Larger Map

LTA Extends Bus Lane Scheme to Improve Travel
Experience for Bus Commuters

1. From 2 June 2008, full-day bus lanes will be extended to 11 new locations in the CBD, with the aim of ensuring that buses will be able to give commuters a faster and smoother journey with less interruption on the road.

2. Surveys conducted showed that the most important aspects of the bus journey for commuters are waiting time and travelling time. As buses are more efficient carriers of commuters, with a higher number of passengers per unit road space as compared to other vehicles such as cars, it is necessary to give priority to buses so that more commuters reach their destinations on time.

3. Since the implementation of the full-day bus lane scheme in Orchard Road in 2005 average bus speeds have improved, with non-peak bus speeds increasing by 10% on weekdays, and 23% on Saturdays.

4. Along the 5 stretches in the city at Eu Tong Sen Street, Somerset Road, Victoria Street, Hill Street and Bras Basah Road where full day bus lanes were implemented in 2007, we have seen improvement in bus speeds by as much as about 12%.

5. Feedback received from bus commuters and bus captains also show that they have experienced faster bus journeys on stretches with dedicated bus lanes.

6. The improved bus travelling speeds help make the bus commute a more attractive and pleasant option and encourages more commuters to take public transport.

7. The full-day bus lane scheme operates from 7.30am to 8pm on all weekdays and Saturdays, except public holidays.

8. Please refer to Annex A for the full list of roads that the full-day bus lane scheme is extended to.

On-board Bus Lane Enforcement Video Cameras

9. To ensure that the bus lane scheme remain effective in improving travel time for buses, LTA will be introducing the use of on-board bus lane enforcement cameras from 2 June onwards.

10. Ninety buses across 12 SBS Transit bus services that ply along routes with bus lanes will be fitted with video cameras which will be used to record bus lane infringements. The cameras will work in tandem with the current warden scheme and ensure that bus lanes remain clear during operating hours.

11. This system requires little intervention by the driver as the video is set to continuously monitor the road in front of the bus. The video camera also allows LTA officers to assess the circumstances more accurately if motorists are caught on video infringing bus lanes.

12. LTA will review the use of cameras and extend them to more bus services, if they prove to be effective in keeping the bus lanes clear for bus travel.

13. Motorists who infringe bus lanes are liable to a fine of $130. No demerit points will be imposed on the driver.

14. "To make public transport a competitive option to the car, we must continue to improve the travel experience of public transport commuters. We want to encourage more people to choose public transport as a travel mode during peak hours to reduce congestion on the roads. Thus, we hope motorists will appreciate and understand the rationale behind our measures and help us give priority to buses," said Mr Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, Land Transport Authority.

ANNEX A

Locations of New Full-Day Bus Lanes in the CBD from 2 June 2008

Road Name	Start	End
Collyer Quay	Fullerton Rd	Marina Blvd
Fullerton Rd	Esplanade Dr	Collyer Quay
Grange Rd	Somerset Rd	Devonshire Rd
Shenton Way	Boon Tat St	Maxwell Rd
Robinson Rd	Maxwell Rd	Finlayson Green
Bencoolen St	Rochor Rd	Bras Basah Rd
Hill St	Stamford Rd	River Valley Rd
New Bridge Rd	River Valley Rd	Upp Cross St
North Bridge Rd	Rochor Rd	Parliament Place
South Bridge Rd	Circular Rd	Cross St
Victoria St	Rochor Rd	Stamford Rd

Source: LTA, 15 May 2008

Land Transport Review Part 1: Public transport (bus)

The long awaited Land Transport Review is finally released, or least partially. In the release of Part 1 of the Land Transport Review, Minister Raymond Lim honed in on the sector that is being tasked to meet Singapore's growing transport needs -- public transport sector.

In what is perceived as sweeping changes, the Land Transport Review touched on several initiatives that will improve the overall transport network integration and increase the human touch which will make public transport more user-friendly. In addition, the key change will be more competition in the bus market, but details will be worked over the next few years. Sadly, the issue that rife the market earlier did not materialise -- the review does not recommend a merger (one giant transport company) or take over of selected services (one bus company and one rail company).

For the summary of the initiatives and key performance indicators, please refer to the table below (click on image for clearer text). To be able to comprehend the table, please make reference to the full Minister's speech appended below (also available here). Christopher Tan from The Straits Times also summarised the key changes which is appended below too.

Click here for bigger image

Personally, I hail the centralised bus planning. Ever since the concept of Areas of Responsibility is introduced, whereby the two bus operators are responsible for all the bus network planning in their assigned areas, passengers have suffered in terms of inefficient bus linkage across the operators' area. LTA, the agency being tasked for centralised bus planning, will have a big challenge ahead to plan the bus routes, and to explain to residents why they do not allow for point-to-point services at certain areas and why hub-and-spoke model is best etc (these complains never ends!). It is still too early to say which bus services will be merged, but the many duplicating bus services recently introduced by SBS Transit could be one of the top few candidates.

Also, I like the development of an integrated multi-modal travel information system (I've posted my ramblings about the lack of such here and here). Though no details on the platform is given, a hint can be found from "Interactive electronic map of the island" -- I have a strong feeling the platform will be Google Map, which is the only electronic map that provides strong interactivity, and it's free too! (for the record, StreetDirectory offers no interactivity while Can.com.sg provides limited interactivity)

I also like the proliferation of real-time bus arrival information at more locations, and more platform too. However, I hope the SMS trial will not be the end -- hopefully it'll be expanded to cover mobile devices too.

A season pass would also encourage more people to use public transport on a regular basis. Just like when you buy a car you will tend to use it more because of the sunk cost of purchasing a car, buying a season pass will encourage you to travel more on public transport to recoup the sunk cost of a pass to make it more worthwhile. However, I have a feeling that if SBS Transit had not came up with their proprietary $98 per month bus season pass which drew flakes from the public for being restrictive (not able to use on MRT and SMRT services), this initiative would not have been mentioned in the review itself. Just my ramblings.

One issue I have with the changes is distance-based through fare system. Although the abolishment of transfer rebate is long overdue, the solution should not be distance-based through fare system. Rather, it should be zonal-based through fare system. With distance-based fare, you will still have the issue of passenger being penalised due to inefficient bus/train network (think buses that need to snake through neighbourhood to extend its coverage). For example, to get from Orchard to Tiong Bahru, I can take a bus which is more direct compared to a train, which take a winding path down Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar before coming back to Tiong Bahru. However, I may prefer to take train because of many reasons, for example, I like the convenient services provided at the train stations (ATMs/bank/shops), I want to get away from the rain etc, but I will be paying more because of the distant-based fare structure. In addition, the distance-based fare structure will encourage people to take the most direct route if they want to save on the fare, but that route may not be the fastest. My point is, the Minister has already made a point to improve point-to-point travelling, the natural choice to set a fare should be point-to-point too, which a zonal fare fare system offers this. In addition,

All in all, why are these changes not implemented earlier? To be fair to the local players (be it LTA/private operators), all these initiatives are not new. In fact, some of the initiatives have been put to trial many years ago. However, the issue with implementing the initiatives boils down to COST - LTA is unwilling to provide more funding, private operators are unable to agree on jointly developing a single system to share cost etc. Also, the two companies truly lived out the meaning of "competitors" where they compete with each other head-on, rather than competing with their real competitor of private transport (cars), although recently they seemed to have move on. I am glad that the Government is finally providing funding to develop these initiatives to further advance a stagnating (if not degenerating) public transport system.

Having said those, do look out for Part 2 of Land Transport Review at the end of this month, which will be focusing on how to manage cars' usage.

[Post note: There will be another part to the Land Transport Review, which covers enhancement to the MRT system. I'm not sure which one will be released first. Thanks Tim for pointing this out.]

Related articles:

• Land Transport Review Part 1: Public transport (bus)
• Land Transport Review Part 2: Public transport (rail)
• Land Transport Review Part 3: Private transport (car)
  

SPEECH BY MR RAYMOND LIM,MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND SECOND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE LAND TRANSPORT GALLERY,
18 JANUARY 2008, 9.20 AM

PUTTING THE COMMUTER AT THE CENTRE

Introduction: The Land Transport Review Journey

1. I am happy to join you this morning to launch the Land Transport Gallery and to share with you the outcomes of our land transport review.

2. We started this review more than a year ago to take stock of the 1996 White Paper on Land Transport and to put in place a new roadmap that will guide land transport developments over the next 10 to 15 years.

3. Today, I will speak about making public transport a choice mode, a viable alternative to the car; and in particular, how we will make public transport more seamless for commuters and improve bus services to help achieve this. I will cover our MRT enhancements and car demand management plans later this month.

4. The central question that we sought to answer in our review was this: What will it take for the majority of Singaporeans to choose the bus or MRT over the car?

5. This is a key question for us because a high reliance on public transport is fundamental to a liveable and environmentally sustainable city. As a city state, Singapore is the second most densely populated country in the world. Already, roads take up 12% of our total land area and the demands on our land transport system are set to increase by 60%, from our current 8.9 million daily journeys to 14.3 million by 2020. Making public transport the centrepiece of our land transport system will be crucial, to keep congestion in check and help protect our environment.

6. With this question in mind – how we can make public transport a choice mode - we set out to understand the perspectives of our commuters.


Insights from Commuters

7. Now, for many, a car means convenience, more control over one’s schedule and time saved, all very important given our busy lives.

8. Hence, if we want people to embrace the bus or train as ‘my other car’, then it stands to reason that the bus and the train will have to be more like ‘my car’. Public transport must be more convenient and comfortable, and journey times more competitive with the car, while remaining affordable.

9. So we asked people, where are the pain points in our public transport system?

10. These were the common refrains: Long waits. Erratic bus arrivals. Circuitous feeders. Overcrowded buses. Give us more point-to-point buses because transfers are inconvenient; the waiting time for each leg adds up, and the total journey time is much too long.

11. To be fair, these comments do not give us the whole picture. In representative surveys taken to get the view of commuters as a whole, 8 in 10 commuters that LTA polled in their 2007 Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey were satisfied with the public transport system as a whole, similar to 2006. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) also named Singapore as one of the top cities for public transport in their 2006 “Mobility in Cities” report.

12. However, LTA’s commuter surveys have also highlighted long waiting times and overcrowding as key concerns. To make public transport competitive with the car, we agree that the system must do even better, and in particular, our review has zeroed in on these problems that commuters have highlighted.


A People-Centred Land Transport System

13. Let me spell out our new philosophy in developing our land transport system going forward.

14. We will do more to put the commuter at the centre of our land transport system. Our land transport system must be planned and built for people, not vehicles. This means seeing through the eyes of the commuter from the time he steps out of his house to the time he gets to his destination. In fact, it starts even before that, as soon as he thinks about making a journey.

15. We will invest in quality, not just system capacity. Simply saying we have planned for enough trains and buses for the increased travel demand in 2020, is not enough. We need to ask: Can people get to a train station or bus stop quickly and comfortably? Are the connections good? How long is total journey time and waiting time between transfers? How crowded are the buses and trains? Can people get timely and user-friendly travel information? And so on. Everything that is important to the commuter needs to be thought through. Only then would we be able to achieve our target of making 70% of all morning peak hour trips on public transport by 2020.

16. I will now highlight the principal strategies to address the problems raised by commuters:

(I) Making our Hub-and-spoke System Seamless

(II) Introducing More Competition to Drive Efficiency and Service Improvements

(III) Involving our People in the Land Transport System



(I) Making our Hub-and-spoke System Seamless

17. First, we will enhance our hub-and-spoke system to address the key problems of waiting time, travel time and over-crowding. It is the right model for our public transport system. The alternative is to have many direct services, which cannot work in a compact city state like Singapore.

18. Let me illustrate the difference between the two approaches. Let us take 20 origins and 20 destination points with a hub in the centre. With a hub-and-spoke system, you will have 20 buses going into the hub from the origins and 20 buses leaving the hub to the destinations, or 40 bus services to run this system. Take away the hub, replace it with direct services, and you will need 400 bus services.

19. A direct service between every origin and destination point is thus inefficient and expensive. There would be long waits between buses as the passenger volumes would not be able to justify frequent services for many of the services. Our hub-and-spoke model is not only much more efficient, but also delivers better outcomes for commuters.

20. Transfers are part and parcel of a hub-and-spoke system. They can in fact reduce overall travel time, especially for longer journeys using rail, because trains travel faster than traffic on the roads. But unfortunately, transfers today are not as seamless and easy as they should be.

21. Ms Jeanne Conceicao, a participant at one of the focus group discussions, told us about her experience with the daily commute. She gave up on the MRT in favour of the taxi. Taking the bus or MRT was just too wearying. Too many decision points, she said. She had to take a feeder bus to the MRT station, hop on the North-South line, then transfer onto the East-West Line, and then hop onto another feeder bus that took her to Heng Mui Keng Terrace where she worked. The uncertainty of the journey time - how long it would take for the feeder bus to arrive; whether taking the MRT to Raffles Place or Jurong East interchange to transfer would be faster - it took too much out of her. In the end, she decided to take a taxi, and would be buying a car.

22. This really drives home the point that we need to improve the connectivity of our hub-and-spoke system, in particular the integration between the feeders, trunk buses and the MRT. Only then can we ensure seamless transfers and make the whole public transport journey as convenient as possible.

23. System unity is thus critical: the entire public transport system should be planned and operated as a whole and not as separate parts. The choice for the commuter should not be between bus or rail but between public transport and the car. But this is not the case today.

24. Currently, the two public transport operators plan the bus routes within their areas of operation based on commercial considerations, subject to minimum service obligations.

25. This has led to a situation where out of more than 250 bus services, only 35% are run at intervals of 10 minutes or less. Some even run at intervals longer than 30 minutes.

26. Then there are the feeder buses that make huge, circuitous loops before they get to the MRT station or bus interchange.

27. Yet others have pointed out that there was no integrated travel information across both operators. Up till recently, before LTA worked with the operators to develop the Electronic Bus Journey Planner which is now on the Transitlink website, you could go to the SBST website, look up a bus service to take you from Orchard Road to Choa Chu Kang and fail to find one. This is because Choa Chu Kang is under SMRT’s area of responsibility, and not SBST’s.

28. We will undertake five major initiatives to enhance our hub and spoke system and address the problems I have highlighted. They are:

(a) LTA to undertake Centralised Bus Planning;

(b) Distance-based Through Fares to Facilitate Transfers;

(c) Bus Priority Measures to Speed Up Buses;

(d) Integrated Public Transport Hubs; and

(e) Integrated Public Transport Service Information.



(a) LTA To Undertake Centralised Bus Planning

29. Buses are an integral part of our public transport system, serving two-thirds of all commuter trips today. If we allow the bus to become the poor cousin of the train, the system as a whole suffers and commuters suffer. Rail and buses must work in close partnership.

30. This is why, by 2009, LTA will also take on central planning of the bus network, so that we have one agency that does all the land transport planning with the people in mind. By integrating the planning of the bus, rail as well as the road network, LTA will be able to optimise the performance of the entire land transport system for commuters’ benefit. The Public Transport Council (PTC) will continue to have oversight of the bus network and service quality.

31. By 2015, our target is for 80% of public transport commuters to complete their journeys within an hour, from the point they set off, to arriving at their destination, up from 71% today. We will narrow the gap between public transport and car journey times. By 2020, journeys on public transport should not take more than 1.5 times that by car, a reduction from the current 1.7 times.

32. The LTA and Public Transport Council (PTC) have already made a start by tightening the Quality of Service (QoS) standards for buses to address problem areas. To shorten waiting time for buses and reduce crowding, the bus operators are now required to despatch buses from the bus interchanges at more frequent intervals. At least 80% of bus services must be run at peak frequencies of 10 minutes or less by August 2009, compared with 15 minutes today.

33. Going forward, LTA will ensure that there are more frequent and direct feeder services so that commuters get to MRT stations and bus interchanges in less time. Bus and rail service schedules at the interchanges will also be better coordinated, to cut down waiting times and facilitate transfers.


(b) Distance-based Through Fares to Facilitate Transfers

34. To further enhance transfers, we will introduce a distance-based through fare system by 2009 to get rid of the transfer fare penalty. Under a through fare system, commuters will pay a fare based on the distance they travel on bus, rail or both, irrespective of the transfers they make.

35. For example, an SMU (Singapore Management University) student who lives in Sin Ming Avenue could take a direct bus service 162 from SMU which costs $1.19. Or he could hop onto 166 or 167 if it comes along first, and make a transfer along Upper Thomson Road onto bus service 52, 410 or 162, whichever arrives first. The latter would be more expensive and cost up to $1.61 today. With through fares, the student would pay the same fare, whether he takes one bus, or two buses, along the same route as there will be no transfer penalty.

36. As LTA works with the operators to refine the fare system, it will also work towards making available an integrated season pass for travel on both bus and rail regardless of operator.


(c) Bus Priority Measures to Speed Up Buses

37. To speed up the buses and enhance their reliability, we have introduced bus priority measures such as full-day bus lanes so that buses can travel unimpeded by other traffic. These have improved bus speeds by an average of 7% and as much as 16% on some roads. We will do more.

38. We will make the coverage of our network of bus lanes more comprehensive, especially within the CBD. By June 2008, the network of normal bus lanes will be extended from 120 km to 150 km, and full-day bus lanes will treble from 7 km to 23 km.

39. Even with the bus lanes, buses are sometimes slowed down by other left-turning traffic at traffic light junctions. LTA will therefore be piloting a new scheme by end 2008, to give signal priority to buses at traffic light junctions, so that buses have right-of-way over other vehicles turning left into side roads.

40. Another key aspect of reducing travel times on our buses is to reduce the dwell time at bus bays. An SBST survey showed that up to 9% of travel time on buses is spent trying to get out of bus bays. To address this, LTA will make it mandatory for motorists to give way to buses exiting from bus bays by end 2008.

41. All these bus priority measures will help work towards increasing bus speeds to 20-25 kph by 2009, up from the current 16 kph for feeder buses and 19 kph for trunk buses.


(d) Integrated Public Transport Hubs

42. Part of making public transport more convenient is to reduce the physical effort of accessing our bus interchanges and MRT stations, especially with our high humidity and sudden rain showers. We will do more to integrate our bus and MRT stations and even turn them into lifestyle hubs like Raffles Xchange and Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

43. With the opening of Ang Mo Kio Hub last year, residents have told us they liked the air-conditioned bus interchange where they can pop into shops at the passenger concourse before their bus arrived. Others liked the convenience of the underground linkway to Ang Mo Kio MRT station. These attributes have helped increase public transport ridership at this hub.

44. We will therefore embark on a programme to build more integrated public transport hubs as well as upgrade existing bus interchanges. We have already started building two more integrated bus interchanges at Boon Lay (2009) and Clementi (2011) which will be ready in a few years, bringing the total number of integrated bus interchanges to 5 (Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh and Sengkang). Over the next 10 years, we will upgrade another 5 interchanges at Bedok, Jurong East, Serangoon, Joo Koon and Marina South in tandem with the re-development in these areas, to better integrate our transport hubs with the surrounding facilities.


(e) Integrated Public Transport Service Information

45. Travel information was another missing link in the commuting chain until recently.

46. Now, all 4500 bus stops island wide have bus service information posters unlike in the past. LTA has also installed Key Bus Service Maps at 36 bus stops in the Orchard Road area. These maps set out the key bus routes and places of interest in a clear pictorial format, so commuters can find their bus more easily.

47. Going forward, to reduce the anxiety of waiting and provide more certainty on journey times, we will make available dynamic, real-time travel information to commuters on the go. Last year, LTA piloted real-time bus arrival information panels at 30 bus stops in the CBD and two HDB towns (Yishun and Ang Mo Kio). This has worked well and LTA will install these panels at another 20 bus stops by May 2008. In addition, from July, LTA will embark on a trial to use SMS to provide real-time bus arrival information to commuters at these bus stops.

48. To help people plan their journeys better, LTA and Transitlink will come up with an enhanced Integrated Public Transport Journey Planner which also has basic map features, by July 2008. You can get travel information via the internet or the hotline to plan out your route, and yes it will cover both SBST and SMRT services.

49. As a further step, LTA will develop an Integrated Multi-Modal Travel Information System for door-to-door travel planning. It will have an interactive electronic map of the island where commuters can get information on bus service routes, bus stops and rail stations, arrival information and landmarks at a glance, at home or on their office computer, and also when they are on the move via their mobile devices.



(II) Introducing More Competition to Drive Efficiency and Service Improvements


Enhance Contestability of Bus Services

50. Competition enhances efficiency and keeps costs competitive. Cities in Europe and Australia and Hong Kong have moved towards making their bus services more contestable. They found that introducing some form of competition, or even just the real threat of competition, is an effective way to keep bus operations efficient and raise service standards.

51. Hence, our second broad strategy is to gradually open up our basic bus service sector for more competition, by making the right to operate bus services contestable. There are limited economies of scale for bus operations above a fleet size of 500 buses. Hence, our current bus industry of about 3,700 buses could potentially support more than the current two operators.

52. Our intention is to introduce competition “for” the market, where operators compete periodically for the right to provide a package of bus services designed by LTA. They will have to fulfil service obligations or risk being replaced when their term is up. This is different from competition “in” the market or head-on competition for market share, which would be detrimental to an integrated public transport system where the emphasis is on co-operation to grow the overall pie.

53. Injecting greater contestability into our bus industry is a major change. Not only is it critical to get the policies right, it is just as important that we implement the changes smoothly. Hence, over the next year or so, we will study all the issues carefully together with all relevant stakeholders, before embarking on any changes.

More Niche Services - Premium Bus & other Non-Basic Services

54. To keep up the momentum of service improvement, we will continue to encourage a range of niche bus services to give commuters more choices. One example is the premium buses which are proving to be very popular. Another example is the FastForward services which are express services that run during peak hours, and which can cut journey time by up to 20% because of fewer stops.


(III) Involving our People in the Land Transport System


55. Now, these exciting plans that we have for public transport commuters would not be what they are, if not for the contributions of the many people who took time to share their perspectives.

56. Indeed, the whole land transport review has benefited from the inputs of a broad spectrum of stakeholders and public. Besides the many emails, web postings and letters we received, numerous people participated in our focus group discussions, and Great Transport Challenge Game. In total, more than 4500 people contributed their time, energies and ideas to the review.

57. We will continue to keep our fingers firmly on the pulse of our people, their changing travel needs, preferences and the interests they represent. We will also enhance what we have already started with this land transport review.

58. Moving forward, the community, the people who use the transport system, will play a larger role in helping to shape and implement land transport plans and initiatives.

59. To support the community’s involvement in transport issues, LTA has set up a new “Land Transport Community Partnership Division”. Teams from this division will be assigned to each constituency to handle not only the day-to-day road and traffic management functions more effectively, but to also engage the community more closely on the ground.

60. LTA will also be launching its Community Outreach Programme where gatherings will be held with grassroots leaders to share and discuss land transport policies and plans. To reach out to young people, LTA will step up efforts to engage them in their schools and through the new media. And of course, today’s launch of the Land Transport Gallery is an important part of this holistic effort to reach out to our people.


Conclusion

61. With all these changes, commuters will have a public transport system where the bus and rail work together in close partnership. Fast and frequent feeders will bring commuters to the high speed trunk routes served by rail or trunk buses. Services will be co-ordinated and easy to understand. Buses will travel speedily on the roads, aided by comprehensive bus priority measures.

62. Commuters will make convenient transfers, without any fare penalty, in the comfort of integrated public transport interchanges. Those who wish to can make use of an integrated season pass. They will have easy access to public transport information on the web and on the phone, including real-time information while on the go.

63. Now, besides making these public transport improvements, it is also important that we manage car usage. We need to do more of both to ensure that we have a quality urban living environment. In particular, to keep our roads free flowing, we will need to lower our vehicle growth rate and raise ERP charges. In the past few years, our roads have become more congested. Driving in the Suntec area in the evening, for instance, is often a real challenge. We must do something about this as the city centre is the heart of our economy. We will also need to raise the performance bar for our ERP system, so that motorists who use these roads, be it in the CBD or the expressways, get a better driving experience. I will be announcing these measures later this month as part of our land transport review.

1. Together, these initiatives to transform our public transport system and manage car usage will help ensure that Singaporeans enjoy the benefits that come from a vibrant and growing city, rather than pay heavily for it through gridlock and pollution.

Source: Ministry of Transport, 18 Jan 2008

[Author's note: The wrong numbering of paragraph 64 is inherent in the press release itself.]

Key changes to improve land transport in S'pore
by Christopher Tan, The Straits Times

• Distance-based fares to allow transfers
Commuter will no longer be penalised when they transfer from one bus to another while still on the same journey. The fare will be calculated based on the total distance travelled instead and the commuters will pay less for the distance. For example, a trip from Sin Ming in Thomson to the Singapore Management University at Bras Basah will cost $1.09 instead of $1.31 now.

• Buses will get more priority on the road
There will be more full-day bus lanes so that buses can have unimpeded travel. It will be mandatory for all other vehicles to give way to buses exiting from bus bays by end of 2008. By June 2008, network of normal bus lanes will be extended from 120 km to 150 km, and full-day bus lanes will treble from 7 km to 23 km. Bus drivers now spend 9 per cent of their time on the roads waiting for others to give way. These measures to give priority to buses will increase bus speeds to 20 to 25 kph by 2009, up from the current 16 kph for feeder buses and 19 kph for trunk buses.

• More competition to operate buses
LTA will open up the market and tender out parcels of bus routes to anyone who can deliver the services at the standards it spells out. Cities in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong have moved towars making their bus services more contestable. They found that introducing some form of competition, or even just the real threat of competition, is an effective way to keep bus operations efficient and raise service standards. There are now two public transport operators - the SMRT and SBS Transit - in Singapore running about 3,700 buses on the roads. This has lead to a situation where out of more than 250 bus services, only 35 per cent are run at intervals of 10 minutes or less. Some even run at intervals longer than 30 minutes. The feeder buses make huge, circuitous loops before they get to the MRT station or bus interchange. There is no integrated travel information from the two operators.

• Centralised bus planning
The public transport system serves two-thirds of all commuter trips in Singapore, thus, rail and buses must work in close partnership. By 2009, LTA will take on central planning of the bus network so that there will be only one agency handling the land transport planning, which will integrate the bus, rail and the road network.

• Speeding up travel by public transport
By 2015, the target is for 80 per cent of public transport commuters to complete their journeys within an hour - up from 71 per cent today. Gap between public transport and car journey times will be narrowed. By 2020, journeys on public transport should not take more than 1.5 times that by car, a drop from the current 1.7 times. At least 80 per cent of bus services must be run at peak frequencies of 10 minutes or less by August 2009, compared with 15 minutest today.

• More niche services
Expect more niche bus services like the premium buses from housing estates to the city centre. Over 60 are running and another 40 more are awaiting approval.

• Integrated public transport service information
Travel information is a missing link in the commuting chain until recently. To reduce the anxiety of waiting and provide more certainty on journey times, dynamic, real-time information will be made available to commuters on the go. To help people plan their journeys better, LTA and Transitlink will come up with an enhanced integrated public transport journey planner, which also has basic map features by July 2008. There will also be an interactive electronic map of the island where commuters can get information on bus service routes, bus stops and rail stations, arrival information and landmarks at a glance - at home or on office computer, and mobile devices.

Source: The Straits Times, 18 Jan 2008

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

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 lane operating hours from 1 April 2007

Motorists take note. From 1 April 2007, bus lane operating hours will be revised. To avoid intruding into the bus lanes, please note the following changes:

1. Full-day bus lane will be expanded to cover five new locations: Eu Tong Sen Street, Hill Street, Victoria Street, Bras Basah Road and Somerset Road/Penang Rd. [Post-note: For update on the expanded full-day bus lane scheme effective on 2 June 2008, please refer to here.]
   
2. Normal bus lane hours during weekday mornings will remain the same while the operating hours of the weekday evening period will be adjusted from 4.30pm-7.00pm to 5.00pm-8.00pm. Bus lane hours on Saturdays will no longer apply.

Kudos to LTA for their publicity effort. Information brochures and car decals were sent to motorists to inform them of the changes well in advance. In total, 600,000 information packets was sent to all registered vehicle owners, taxi companies and for distribution at selected petrol kiosks.

I have only one peeve about this: that the removal of bus lane operational hours on Saturdays should have come hand-in-hand with the implementation of five-day work week (which was adopted by almost all industries by early 2005).

For those who are a bit more nostalgic, bus lanes were first introduced in 1974 because "public buses using limited road space are to be given high priority", and "quicker turn around can effectively increase the carrying capacity of the fleet of public buses" (Straits Times, 20 Jan 1974). The scheme first started with bus lanes at 11 areas involving 20 roads, which were implemented in stages in the following order:

• 6 Feb: Robinson Road-Maxwell Road of Collyer Quay
  
• 22 Feb: Stamford Road-Bras Basah Road
• 15 Mar: Orchard Road-Stamford Road to Paterson Road
• 16 Mar: Collyer Quay-Connaught Drive
• 21 Mar: North Bridge Road-South Bridge Road-Neil Road-Cantonment Road
• 21 Mar: North Bridge Road-Bras Basah Rd to Crawford Street
• 4 Apr: New Bridge Road-Hill Street-Victoria Street from Outram Road to Bras Basah Road
• 4 Apr: Victoria Street-Kallang Road from Bras Basah Road to Lavender Street
• 20 Apr: Selegie Road-Serangoon Road from Dhoby Ghaut to Lavender Street
• 11 May: Jalan Besar-Bencoolen Street from Lavender Street to Bras Basah Road
• 20 June: Shenton Way from Raffles Quay to Maxwell Road
  

Back then, the penalty for other vehicles which enter or travel along the bus lanes were a maximum fine of $400 for the first offence and a $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months for a second or subsequent conviction.

Quite a hefty sum to pay!

Graphical illustration of the full day bus lanes implemented (effective 1 April 2007). [Source: LTA]

A motorist advisory plate along Bras Basah Road

1 April 2007 - Changes To Bus Lane Scheme

There will be changes to the bus lane scheme from 1 April 2007. The details are as follows:

Changes to the scheme:

i. Evening bus lane hours will be moved to a slightly later slot to reflect current traffic patterns which indicate that evening traffic volumes tend to peak around the 6.00pm mark. The Saturday bus lane hours will no longer apply at these locations, due to the lighter traffic volumes noted on Saturdays.

ADJUSTMENTS TO BUS LANE HOURS
Days	Existing Operation Hours	New Operation Hours
Mondays to Fridays	7.30am to 9.30am	7.30am to 9.30am (No Change)
	4.30pm to 7.00pm	5.00pm to 8.00pm >
Saturdays	7.30am to 9.30am	No Longer Applicable
	11.30am to 2.00pm
Indicated by a continuous yellow line

ii. The full-day bus lane scheme, currently in force from Mondays to Saturdays at Orchard Road since October 2005, will be extended to five new locations with very high bus and vehicle volumes.

EXTENDED FULL-DAY BUS LANE SCHEME
Days	Operation Hours	Locations
Mondays to Saturdays	7.30am to 8.00 pm	1) Eu Tong Sen Street (from Outram Road to River Valley Road , towards Kallang Road ) 2) Hill Street (from River Valley Road to Bras Basah Road , towards Kallang Road ) 3) Victoria Street (from Bras Basah Road to Lavender Street , towards Kallang Road ) 4) Bras Basah Road (from Prinsep Street to Beach Road ) 5) Somerset Road / Penang Road (from Clemenceau Avenue to Orchard Turn) 6) Orchard Road (from Scotts Road to Handy Road)* * Already in operation
Indicated by a continuous yellow and red line

As part of LTA's public education efforts to inform motorists of the upcoming changes in bus lane hours, 600,000 information packets have been sent out to all registered vehicle owners, taxi companies and for distribution at selected petrol kiosks.

By now, motorists should have received the information pack that contains an information brochure which explains the changes to the bus lane scheme and commonly asked questions in four official languages. A decal with the new bus lane hours is also included in the information kit. Motorists can place the decals on the windscreen of their cars as a reminder of the changes to the Bus Lane Scheme.

Source: LTA (28 March 2007)

Public transport information going in circles again

Three weeks ago, LTA announced two initiatives to “enhance public transport experience”.

The first is providing real-time bus arrival times on a trial basis using LED panels installed at selected bus stops. The second is providing an integrated electronic bus journey planner to allow public to plan their travel routes using the bus services offered by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses.

The full news release is attached below (also available here).

LTA To Introduce Initiatives To Enhance Public Transport Experience

1 The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is working with the public transport operators to make available real-time bus arrival information at 30 popular bus-stops and to develop an electronic bus journey planner. These initiatives will help commuters make more informed travel decisions and are in line with LTA's efforts to provide a commuter-centric public transport system. LTA has set aside a budget of S$5 million for the initiatives so the costs will not be passed on to commuters.

2 Details of the two initiatives are as follows:

A) REAL-TIME BUS ARRIVAL INFORMATION

3 LTA will work with SBS Transit and SMRT Buses on a trial to provide real-time bus arrival times using LED panels installed at selected bus stops. This will help commuters better manage waiting time and transfers, as well as make more informed travel decisions.

4 The panels will be installed at 30 bus stops, 20 within the Orchard Road area and the remaining 10 to be equally divided between two HDB towns. The locations will be selected based on the volume of commuter traffic, so as to benefit a larger number of public transport commuters. The panels will be rolled out in phases from July 2007.

5 Subsequently, LTA will explore extending the initiative to other bus stops around the city area and at regional centres based on public feedback on the trial.

B) ELECTRONIC BUS JOURNEY PLANNER

6 LTA has provided funding support for TransitLink to develop an electronic bus journey planner using bus services provided by the two public transport operators. TransitLink's hotline operators will be able to tap on this electronic bus journey planner to respond to public enquiries on travel routes more quickly.

7 The electronic bus journey planner will also be made available on the TransitLink website on a trial basis by July 2007 for commuters to use, and will be refined, taking into account commuters' feedback.

COMMUTERS' FEEDBACK WELCOMED

8 Towards the end of the trials, surveys will be conducted to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the initiatives in improving public transport services as well as suggestions for improvement. Commuters may also give us their comments via LTA's hotline 1800-CALL LTA (1800-2255 582) or participate in Talk2LTA, our discussion forum, on the LTA website.

Source: LTA (9 March 2007)

This is LTA’s third such attempt to provide public transport information.

In 1995, the newly formed LTA embarked on a pilot project (known as Auto Network Time Travel System) to display bus arrival times at two selected bus stops along Orchard area. Buses were tagged electronically and were detected by sensors placed at traffic light junctions. Once a sensor detects a tagged vehicle, information on the bus location and travel time will be transmitted to the main control centre, which will then process the information and display the estimated arrival time at bus stops. After the trial ended, LTA was not keen to expand the scheme further.

Again in 2000, LTA launched an ambitious project (known as transit.smart) to provide a web-based public transport information system that gives real time bus and train arrival information. The $40 million project – originally scheduled to launch in April 2003 – was later canned in February 2003, (official) reasons being technical difficulties, rising cost etc.

Twelve years later, LTA still has not given up (a round of applause for their undying effort). Now that technology has improved and both operators already have GPS fleet management system in place, implementing real-time bus arrival information at bus stops should not be a problem. The real concern lies with some passengers who cannot stop screaming at how costly the LED panels are (fyi, if all bus stops are to be fitted, the island will sprout 4,400 such panels overnight). Perhaps to ease their concern, LTA can consider set up an advertising subsidiary to sell airtime on the LED panels to defray costs. It could also allow them to compete with Clear Channel – their contractor who design, build and maintain majority of the bus shelters, while enjoying concession to milk advertising opportunities from them.

On the other hand, the LONG overdue electronic bus journey planner that encompasses all bus routes is definitely welcome. LTA should have provided funding support to TransitLink much earlier to solve the very problem that they created. Just a thought for ponder: did anyone question LTA why they are providing a bus-only journey planner in a multi-modal transport environment? Let's wait and see how the journey planner will turn out when it unveils in July this year.

Auto Network Time Travel System (1995)

transit.smart (2000 - 2003)

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

Trains and the quality of life

I would like to comment on a published article bearing the same title as this post (attached below).

Trains and the quality of life

SIX and a half million people. That's where the population is headed. As Singaporeans digest news of a new MRT line, they should bear in mind that number. For housing more people is relatively easy. More difficult is ensuring that a larger population gets to work, school, the market and leisure sites just as easily as people today.

But even that isn't good enough. Singapore's planners have never sought only to keep pace, but to radically improve the quality of life. So the aim must be for 6.5 million people to traverse the city in a faster, more efficient way than the current 4.5 million. That brings the discussion back to the MRT: From our perspective, a steady expansion of the system is key to keeping Singapore moving. Certainly there will be increased costs, but there will also be collateral benefits. It's just the way to go.

Building train lines in urban areas isn't cheap. This must be conceded. The just-announced 3.4km downtown loop alone will cost an estimated $1.4 billion. And eventually, the line will stretch 40km - so just imagine. Because new lines are built by the Government, the expense will come out of taxes. This will cause some to gripe. New lines are also unlikely to be as well used as existing ones which go to the most populated areas, and so their financial viability might be an issue. But looking at the dollar price alone isn't helpful. MRT lines greatly increase property values along their routes, especially for housing near stations. As for commercial developments, there is nothing like being near a station or along an MRT route to generate increased traffic and hence business. These are tangible economic benefits that ought to be factored into the equation. But the most compelling reason is really one of necessity. The road network may simply be unable to cope with the increased number of cars owned by a 6.5 million population unless even stricter ownership quotas are imposed. But this will be acceptable to the general population only if public transport, which means an efficient and expanded MRT network, meets their increasingly high expectations.

Urban planning isn't only about housing. It also involves giving people the means to move about easily. And the larger a population gets, the more the equation between private and public transport becomes weighted towards the latter. While there are costs here, the benefits overshadow them. Quality of life can't be priced in dollars and cents. So look at the Circle Line, the Downtown Line and any other extension to come to the MRT system as milestones in better living.

Source: The Straits Times, 16 March 2007

The report on the new MRT line is stale news. The five-station Downtown Line Phase 1, originally known as Downtown Extension, was already announced by LTA about two years ago. It has simply just undergone a name transformation – just like the Marine Line that was renamed to Circle Line Stage 1.

The article seems to be conceived to pacify those who could be opposing more rail lines as they do not see the need of expensive rail lines, especially after the North-East Line experience.

As much as I like to concur with the author that having more rail lines will improve quality of life, I would like to pose some questions in response to the otherwise simplistic argument put forth.

Question 1:
Given that “financial viability of the new lines might be an issue”, would the Government be able to invite operators to operate the new lines?

Both local operators, SMRT and SBS Transit, are public-listed companies. If the revenue of a new line is unable to cover operating costs, it is unlikely that the operators are willing to run the new lines at a loss unless compensated duly. If that is the case, is the Government prepared to “subsidise” their operations?

I could think of a number of ways that the Government can overcome this. One is to convince the operators' management to accept lower profit margin. This may be achieved by trying to get them to look at the overall profit margin of all the lines that they are rather than looking at the profitability of a single line. However, this might not be feasible as the public-listed operators will find it difficult to answer to their shareholders. Another possible move is to allow the operators to recoup any losses by allowing them to have greater non-fare revenue. Such could be in the form of more aggressive marketing initiatives in train stations, or more commercial spaces for rent.


Question 2:
The expanding rail network will reduce the distance travelled, especially for the upcoming Circle Line. Since our current train fare is distance-based (the longer you travel, the more you pay), having more rail lines will most likely reduce the fare because of the corresponding reduction in distance travelled. Is it fair to the operators that while they incur more costs to run the new lines and offer better service in terms of reduced journey time to the public, they are getting lesser revenue due to distant-based fare structure?

Since the author has called for more rail lines because it improves “quality of life”, are passengers also willing to accept a similar argument for fares: that a portion of the fare can be pegged to “quality of ride” based on the amount of time savings they experience with the new lines? Not to forget that our train fair is one of the most affordable in the world!


Question 3:
Are we prepared for more bus rationalisation?

The new rail lines will not be sustainable without extensive bus rationalisation to remove duplicating bus routes. However, recent public sentiments have shown that there are a number who prefer the convenience of having direct door-step bus services over the need to make bus/MRT transfer trips. This is especially true for the Woodlands and North-Eastern residents who have experienced the MRT extension to Woodlands and the new North-East Line.

However, extending the rail network without rationalising the bus services will result in less than ideal utilisation of the huge investments poured into constructing the new MRT lines. I do understand that the Ministry is trying to give more choices to the people, but is it at the expense of building an expensive system that might not fully reaped its benefits? While the focus is providing a customer-centric travel experience, let us not forget the big picture amidst the myriad dissenting views.


Question 4:
Is MRT the only option to meet the transportation needs of Singaporeans?

How about other modes of transport, such as the Bus Rapid Transit system that could meet the transportation needs at much lower cost?

As the article has pointed out, the cost of MRT extension comes from taxpayers’ money. As such, it would be dangerous to expand the rail network using the “quality of life” argument without having the cost-benefit analysis done proper. In any case, the argument of “having more rail lines is a necessity” seems déjà vu. Remember the great MRT rebate back in 1970s, on whether there is a need to built MRT line at all because of the huge financial cost?

Given the huge amount of taxpayers’ money (Christopher Tan from Straits Times estimated that Downtown Line would cost $10 billion), I would urge the relevant authorities to be more transparent in answering these questions.

You are welcome to post any comments and share any views that you may have.

As an ending, here are some relevant news releases on Downtown Line (aka the former Downtown Extension):
14 Jun 2005: Expanding the rail network with Downtown Extension
30 Aug 2006: LTA will construct a Common Utility Trench (CUT) to co-ordinate the diversion of utilities prior to Downtown Extension construction
14 Dec 2006: Minimizing impact Of Downtown Extension construction on traffic