Service 67 is essential to ensure service quality as it is the
only bus within the Changi Road, Tampines Area, and partially Jalan
Besar Serangoon area which does not belong to SBSTransit.
Without 67, SBSTransit will be operating as monopolies within
the area. As private profit-oriented company, other than meeting
the requirements mandated by LTA and PTC to avoid greater fines,
SBSTransit has no incentive or liability to improve level of
service. Thus, it will be natural for SBSTransit to cut back on
services to maxmise profit, so as to be accountable to
shareholders.
This is evident in the persistent overcrowding of buses such as
190, 960 and etc along the Bukit Panjang corridor for SMRT
services, despite BSEP such as 972. As there are no buses by
SBSTransit serving as alternatives for commuters, SMRT operate as
monopolies, and it is natural for them to cut back services.
Similarly, SBSTransit operating as monopolies within the
Sengkang and Hougang region, and the Loyang / Cargo Complex area
has resulted in SBSTransit operating at profit-maximisation level
of service for 9, 19, 89, and to introduce 89e. Due to poor level
of service in terms of long frequency and overcrowding, commuters
have no confidence in buses, and this has resulted in long jams
along Tampines Avenue 7, and Loyang Avenue.
I dont agree with any of the points you have made above. They
seem very myopic.
The reason 190, 960 have poor service have nothing to do with
monopoly here. It is just that SMRT ran out of high capacity buses
and took a very long time to bring DDs in. Was LTA sleeping and
letting them take their own time?
Cargo services 9, 19, 89 have received improvements
consistently, and have a good frequency and managing loads very
well. So I totally disagree here. Yes, there are still improvements
required in certain services, but if 67 has to ply from Tampines to
Little India, does not make sense to give it to SMRT. There is no
depot close by, will have to run buses from AMDEP and let SMRT
concentrate on CCK/BPJ/YIS/BBT/WDL before it wants to expand.
