I would like to ask, does bus services 179 and 179A use the same
fleet of buses?
If so, bus services 179 and 179A is considered one public bus
service, not two. This means there are two public bus services –
179/179A and 199 – serving the students of NTU, not three.
Capacity wise, as mentioned, bus service 179’s maximum capacity
is 3,257 pax/hr (131 × 25), whereas bus service 199’s maximum
capacity is around 1,297 pax/hr [(131 × 8) + (83 × 3)]. Total
maximum capacity is 4,554 pax/hr (3,257 + 1,297).
There are 24,300 students in NTU. The maximum capacity of the
two public bus services 179/179A and 199 is able to cater for
18.74% of the student population in NTU [(4,554/24,300) x
100%].
Meanwhile, at NUS (Kent Ridge), there are four public bus
services 95, 96, 151, 151E. but forget about 151E as that is a
fast-forward variant of 151 (charge higher fares, and uses the same
fleet as 151). so, it's only three bus services 95, 96, 151.
Bus Service 95 uses up to 3 double decker buses and 5 single
decker buses; its maximum capacity is 808 pax/hr [(131 x 3) + (83 x
5)].
Bus Service 96 uses up to 11 double decker buses and 14 single
decker buses; its maximum capacity is 2,603 pax/hr [(131 x 11) +
(83 x 14)].
Bus Service 151 uses up to 3 double decker buses and 23 single
decker buses. there's apparently supposed to be one more bus in the
equation, but, let's assume it's a single decker bus. so, the
maximum capacity is 2,385 pax/hr [(131 x 3) + (83 x 24)].
In total, the three public bus services 95, 96 and 151 have the
maximum capacity of around 5,796 pax/hr (808 + 2,603 + 2,385).
There are 28,311 students in NUS. The maximum capacity of the
three public bus services 95, 96 and 151 is able to cater for
20.47% of the student population in NUS [(5,796/28,311) x
100%].
The
public-bus-to-student proportion is higher in NUS (20.47%) than in
NTU (18.74%).
To be fair, I feel that we should increase the
public-bus-to-student proportion in NTU by 1.73% (20.47 -
18.74), to match the public-bus-to-student proportion in
NUS. This means an increase of the maximum capacity of the
public bus services in NTU by 420.39 pax/hr [(1.73/100) x 24,300],
which is about the capacity of one public bus service.
In other words, we need one new public bus service in
NTU, to make the public-bus-to-student proportion in NTU
equal to the public-bus-to-student proportion in NUS; just
introduce one new public bus service in NTU, and the students in
NTU would have nothing to complain about the public bus service in
NTU already.
420.39 pax/hr is about two double decker buses and two single
decker buses (262 + 166 = 428) combined. We can have one new public bus
service at Boon Lay Bus Interchange that loops at
NTU. We can put this new public bus service and 179
and 179A at the same boarding berth. This new public bus service,
with a maximum of four buses, can operate at a constant frequency
of fifteen minutes. Buses can be transferred from 179 to this new
bus service, to sort of enable higher frequency and “balance a
bit”, as long as the looping point is the same. To optimise
resources, this new public bus service can take an alternative
route between Boon Lay and NTU, that is shorter/faster, and may
enhance the intra-town public bus connection in Jurong West.
Here, I would like to make a route suggestion:
New bus service 152
Boon Lay Bus Interchange to NTU (loop); approximately nine
kilometres; approximately forty five minutes of run time.
Doesn't 179 already loop at NTU from Boon Lay MRT? How is it
different from 179?
The only conceivable variation of the route would be to loop NTU
counter-clockwise.
Unless you intend to send them down all the way to Choa Chu Kang
or Bukit Panjang.
I am sorry. What I meant is the proportion of public bus
capacity to student population in NTU. It is lower than the
proportion of public bus capacity to student population in NUS. To
be fair, I feel that we should have one new public bus service to
make up for the disparity of public bus capacity proportion.
I know there are private shuttle buses in NTU. They can
(continue to) use Pioneer MRT Station - like how the private
shuttle buses at NUS use Kent Ridge MRT Station.
I feel that the proportion of buses - public and private - to
students in NTU is lower than that in NUS.
If we increase the proportion to make it equal to the one in
NUS, I think this will settle the issue of buses in NTU once and
for all, and enable the "student activists" of NTU to move on to
focus on other things.