Bulk of $1.1 billion bus scheme to be rolled out by end-2014, ahead of plans
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2013
TWO in five bus routes now have shorter waiting times and less crowding, a year after the launch of the $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
And things will continue to get better, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday, as he noted that the bulk of the scheme will be rolled out by the end of next year, two years ahead of the 2016 deadline.
"We will continue to work hard to make sure it brings benefits to commuters, and spread it as widely as possible," he added, while giving an update on the programme yesterday.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has spent about 10 per cent of the $1.1 billion so far, to put 250 new buses on the road.
While several have been used to set up 14 new routes, most have gone to supporting 111 existing ones, increasing frequency and reducing over-crowding during peak hours.
The waiting time for service 72 from Yio Chu Kang to Tampines, for instance, has been more than halved, with just three minutes between buses in July instead of seven minutes a year earlier, said the LTA. The number of routes with persistent peak-hour crowding has also been cut, from 96 to 56 - a drop of about 40 per cent.
Another 20 existing services will get extra buses in the coming months. Two short trunk routes will also be introduced by year-end to serve residents in Taman Jurong and Bukit Panjang.
According to Mr Lui, 200 more new buses out of the 550 committed under BSEP will be put to work by the end of next year, as the authorities speed up implementation. He said the programme will be reviewed after next year, when the bulk has been completed, to see "what more we should be doing for 2015 and beyond".
In addition, the LTA is planning to put in place a Quality Incentive Framework which rewards operators for being on time and penalises them if buses arrive off-schedule. Mr Lui hopes to test this scheme out on 25 services by early next year.
In addition, the LTA is planning to put in place a Quality Incentive Framework which rewards operators for being on time and penalises them if buses arrive off-schedule. Mr Lui hopes to test this scheme out on 25 services by early next year.
"We are aware that there are still areas in our bus services that need improvement, we hope to further enhance connectivity and raise service levels," said LTA group director for public transport Yeo Teck Guan. He added that LTA will continue monitoring the BSEP on a weekly basis. It has 40 surveyors on the ground, adding to its analysis of ticketing data and commuter feedback.
Bukit Panjang resident Yuen Kah Hong takes service 190 to the city several times a month during peak hours. He said buses have seemed less crowded. Waiting time has also gone down from five minutes to three. But he and several other commuters said they wanted to see frequency increased during off-peak hours as well.
For Dr Alexander Erath, a transport researcher at Future Cities Laboratory which focuses on urban sustainability, a key question is whether the enhanced routes run more efficiently.
"By increasing frequency primarily, one might also run into the risk that buses ultimately bunch up, especially if several routes overlap," he said, citing Orchard Road, which has more than 20 routes sharing the same bus lane.
He added that new MRT lines, which will have a big impact when they open, offer a good opportunity to optimise the bus network.
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2013
THERE is currently no shortage of bus drivers, even as more buses are added ahead of schedule as part of a $1.1 billion service enhancement programme, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The Government has accelerated its roll-out of the programme, with the bulk of buses due by the end of next year, well ahead of the 2016 deadline.
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew told reporters yesterday that nearly half of the 550 buses committed under the programme have been put on the roads since its launch last year, with another 200 to come by the end of next year.
Operators SBS Transit and SMRT have also separately added more than 60 buses in total over the same period.
Even so, the LTA noted that both operators continue to recruit new drivers aggressively.
Mr Lui had earlier called for a "concerted and sustained effort" to recruit enough new drivers and retain existing ones to ramp up capacity over the next few years.
SMRT now has more than 2,100 drivers. It operates about 25 per cent of the public bus fleet.
It said that since the launch of the programme, 450 bus drivers have been hired as of Aug 31.
Its spokesman said it expects to hire about 300 more drivers from now until next March. She added: "In efforts to meet the increasing demand for bus captains, we have beefed up our recruitment efforts both locally and abroad."
SMRT is looking to hire more part-time drivers and is working with the community development councils, NTUC and the Employment and Employability Institute or e2i, to widen its recruitment network, she added.
The operator also intends to widen its search for drivers in Malaysia and China, and continue organising recruitment drives in Singapore and the region.
SBS Transit senior vice-president for corporate communications Tammy Tan said it now has more than 5,800 drivers, a 4.2 per cent increase over last year.
She said SBS Transit expects to recruit another 400 more bus drivers by the end of next year. "With the increase in the number of buses being added, another 40 more fleet maintenance staff have also been recruited since the start of the year," she added.
Nine private bus operators bid to run City Direct routes
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2013
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2013
NINE private bus operators have bid to run nine City Direct bus services which will give heartland commuters an extra option in and out of the city.
The nine routes, which will be rolled out from next January, will serve residents in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Eunos, Hougang, Jurong East, Sembawang, Sengkang and West Coast.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which called for tenders for the routes in June, can award the services individually or in packages, which means there could be multiple private operators getting deals.
Bidders were free to submit proposals for one or more of the routes before July's deadline. Ng Ing Tsair Bus Service,for instance, put in a bid to operate only the Bedok route.
Transtar Travel general manager Lily Loh revealed that her firm put in bids to run the Jurong East and West Coast services, saying: "It fits our business model."
The firm, which currently runs a cross-border service between Johor Baru and Resorts World Sentosa, aims to increase its services in the west, with Genting Singapore opening a hotel in Jurong in 2015.
Transtar Travel, along with four of the nine, also vied for the Jurong West City Direct tender which closed in March.
That two-year contract was won by ComfortDelGro Bus for about $1.06 million. Yesterday it launched City Service 651, which starts from Jurong West Avenue 3 before taking the Ayer Rajah Expressway on the way to Marina Boulevard - a journey which takes about an hour.
To date, the LTA has started five "parallel" bus services to ferry commuters from housing estates to the city on expressways during peak hours. It said these services have been well received, with more instances of passenger loads of more than 70 per cent.
To cope with demand, SMRT, for one, has doubled the number of morning trips on 850E, which connects Yishun to the city, to four. It has also added a morning trip to service 951E, which links Woodlands to Shenton Way.
Soon, the LTA will also call for tenders for private operators to run short feeder services during peak hours in estates.
Soon, the LTA will also call for tenders for private operators to run short feeder services during peak hours in estates.
Commuters give city bus service thumbs up
They say paying 30 cents more for new City Direct service is worth it
By Jermyn Chow, The Straits Times, 4 Sep 2013
They say paying 30 cents more for new City Direct service is worth it
By Jermyn Chow, The Straits Times, 4 Sep 2013
"The chance of getting a seat was zero," the bank analyst said.
But for 30 cents more yesterday morning, the 27-year-old had a stress-free journey in a relatively empty 40-seater bus, taking an hour to get to work.
She was one of around 50 commuters to hop on the new City Service 651, launched on Monday by ComfortDelGro Bus after it won the tender for $1.06 million in June.
The service, which starts from Jurong West Avenue 3, plies 10 stops in the estate before taking the Ayer Rajah Expressway to Marina Boulevard.
Tickets cost $2.37 with the ez-link card and $2.70 if paid in cash. There are two buses from Jurong West in the morning, at 7.30am and 7.45am, and two from Marina Boulevard in the evening, at 6.15pm and 6.30pm.
This is the first of 10 bus routes that will ferry commuters from the heartland to the city using the expressway during peak hours.
The nine other City Direct bus services, run by private operators, will be rolled out from next January.
They will serve residents in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Eunos, Hougang, Jurong East, Sembawang, Sengkang and West Coast.
All of the commuters whom The Straits Times spoke to yesterday gave bus service 651 the thumbs up. Although they had to pay a bit more, they said it was "small change", considering the convenience and comfort.
Investor relations director Neo Aik Kee said the bus stop he gets off at is just a five-minute walk away from his workplace at Bestway Building in Tanjong Pagar.
"It's a leisurely walk to work without having to get frustrated with the morning peak-hour crowd at the MRT station," added the 33-year-old.
Public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT have also started four "parallel" bus services - part of a $1.1 billion government plan to beef up bus services - to give commuters in housing estates an extra option in and out of the city.
On Monday, the Land Transport Authority said these services have been well received, with more instances of passenger loads of more than 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, investment analyst Shirley Chua hopes that more trips will be added to bus service 651, which she believes will become more popular among professionals because of its convenience.
Said the 29-year-old: "I hope to still be able to secure a seat and space to read my newspapers or at least get some rest before work."
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