A load off my mind

Closed my eyes and sent it out after months of procrastination, finally frustration and irritation took the better of me, lets see whether the The Straits Time Forum will publish it and whether my whole family is "blacklisted" from now on and my brother doesnt get his gov scholarship, :P

Name: Miss Wu Ying Ying
IC No: S8021598C
Mobile: 97871535
Add: 238 Carpmael Road Singapore 429956

Feedback to ST Forum: To have Bus Schedules in Singapore

I am writing to the Forum for I believe I received an unsatisfactory reply from SBS in terms of the following feedback I have given earlier on:

Hi I have been living in Stockholm for a year and experienced the benefits of travelling, with reference to having bus schedules published to commuters.This not only enables commuters to plan their journeys better,reducing unnecessary waiting time, especially in an increasingly time driven country as Singapore and improves the satisfaction level of your customers.

For referance, the bus schedules in Sweden are both published on the website as well as displayed at the bus stops in simple A4 sized panels, nothing fancy or technologically challenging. I understand that your company is having a pilot project with the *655 sms ( where one can sms to know when is the next bus is arriving around the vicinity) service, but I guess sometimes solutions can be simple as well, if they manage to close the need gap.

I believe that this would be beneficial to SBS Transit in the long run and in boosting Singapore's public transportation system to a world class level.

Below is an excerpt of the reply I received from SBS:
"Our buses operate in an urban environment and share the same roads as other vehicles.Unpredictable factors such as adverse traffic conditions, bus breakdowns, inclement weather and varying passenger activities can sometimes disrupt our schedules. As such, we find that the schedule may not work."

In the 21st century, many developed and developing countries already have bus schedules and its considered a part of their daily lives. I have done an imprompto survey among my network of international friends, and so far in countries such as Slovakia, Kenya, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Hungary, USA, Sweden even countries with cities with high population density like Tokyo and London all have bus schedules.

Being a country with none of the four seasons, ice, snow, hail, one would hardly find Singapore's weather condition "inclement". Furthermore, bus drivers have a certain schedule that they follow through, its a matter of sharing this information with the general public, with the understanding there may be exceptions on timing. At least there can be a certain gauge on bus timing and commuters have the confidence that bus companies do strive for being
on time as well.

Lastly, the pilot *655 service is a charged service, with a cost of 31.5cents per every successful request, only applicable for Singtel mobile customers. With the increase of bus fare hikes over the recent years, it is an unnecessary act for increasing the travel expenses of an average commuter who just wants to be informed of the bus timings when it can be done in a more simple and cost efficient way.

I hope that the Singapore Land Transport can look into this matter and lead the way in setting a standard for the Singapore's public transportation system.