Many Changi Airport employees living in Pasir Ris and Loyang
agonise over service 53, the only bus service that takes them to
work.
A typical journey in a car during the morning peak hour takes less
than 15 minutes. However, the journey on service 53 takes a minimum
of 40 minutes and, sometimes, more than an hour if one lives at the
west end of Pasir Ris Street 1.
It all boils down to insufficient trips and unreliable service.
Service 53 starts from Bishan, and it goes through many housing
estates before making its way to Pasir Ris. By then, the bus is
packed and Pasir Ris commuters often cannot get on it.
Because of the long route, there are often delays, and the timing
between buses goes haywire. If one misses the bus, the wait for the
next bus is around 20 minutes.
Can SBS Transit ensure that the drivers pace themselves?
I also empathise with the residents in Loyang, the last bus stop
before the bus gets on the Tampines Expressway. They often cannot
board the bus as it is packed to the brim.
The appeals of residents in Pasir Ris to their town representatives
and MPs have not improved the situation. And there has been no word
from SBS. Some commuters have suggested a peak-hour feeder bus
between Pasir Ris and Changi Airport.
I disagree that bus arrival times are now more accurate ("LTA: Bus
arrival times more accurate now"; July 17). In fact, for the past
two weeks, the Land Transport Authority's MyTransport.SG app shows
outdated arrival times for service 53.
Tricia Kat Sze Yoong (Ms)
