I am aware that in the public, there are comments that the new
bus service 258 duplicates most of existing bus service 243. I
understand there is the concern of wasteful duplication. I have
thought about it. This is actually the best network there can be.
If we make any change to the route, there will be loss of bus
connections and there will be inconvenience caused.
I would like to remind everyone that 258 is never going to
replace 243, since both are different types of bus service.
While we keep the route 243 as it is, I would like to suggest
that we change the frequency of bus services 243G and 243W.
As of now, the frequency of bus service 243G/243W is as
follows,
During peak hours, the frequency can sometimes be as low as
around 3mins (1hr twenty trips), probably due to injection of buses
from Jurong West Street 71. In total, in one hour, there is a
maximum of twenty trips, and a minimum of ten trips.
While we adjust the frequency, we have to ensure that the
waiting time for buses to the common destination (eg. Boon Lay Bus
Interchange) remains the same. That is, if now the lowest frequency
is 3 mins, we should ensure that regardless of 243 or 258, the
lowest waiting time for buses remains at 3 mins.
I would like to suggest that we stop injecting buses from Jurong
West Street 71 into 243, when 258 is introduced. Instead, we should
run 243 based on the scheduled frequency.
The frequency of new bus service 256 and BSEP bus service 258
should be at ten to fifteen minutes throughout the day, according
to the standard set for BSEP trunk bus services.
If so, the frequency of 256 and 258 should be as follows,
Based on the frequency of 256 and 258, to ensure that bus
waiting time remains the same, we should adjust the frequency of
243W and 243G to the following,
As a result, we reduce the maximum number of trips in one hour
on bus services 243G and 243W to fourteen, and the minimum number
to six.
Well, if we want some of the loading on 179 and 241 to come over
to 258, the waiting time for 258 should be comparable to 179 and
241; around six to eight minutes. Otherwise, there is no incentive
of doing so, unless people are willing to wait ten to fifteen
minutes for a bus to/fro Pioneer MRT Station.
In the evening, people may be willing to wait around ten to
fifteen minutes for the bus, as most of them have nothing on after
work. However, in the morning, people have to rush to work.
I would like to suggest a short-working trip of 258 that
connects to Pioneer MRT Station. It operates only during peak
hours, at least in the morning.
Suggestion: 258M
The length of the route is 3.7km, and it takes around ten to
fifteen minutes to complete one loop.
If we set the frequency at 10-15 minutes, we only need one bus.
If we use two buses for this short-working trip, we can increase
the frequency to 5-7.5 minutes. :)