http://app.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=90ed2342-709e-4c64-be26-be8898ecd383
• About half of 550 buses under BSEP added on the
road
• 111 existing bus services improved
• Waiting times on popular services shortened by 3 to 5
minutes
• 40% reduction in number of bus services with persistent crowding
during peak hours
• Improved connectivity with 14 new bus services
1. About 248 new buses under the Bus Service Enhancement
Programme (BSEP), nearly half of the 550 buses committed, have been
added on the road in the first year of the programme, launched in
September 2012.
2. In total, 111 existing bus services have been enhanced and 14
new bus services introduced. These improvements have enhanced the
connectivity of the bus network, shortened waiting times by 3 to 5
minutes for some existing bus services, and reduced the number of
bus services with persistent crowding during peak periods from 96
to 56, or by about 40%.
3. The bulk of the remaining BSEP buses will be rolled out by
the end of 2014, instead of 2016. Indeed, by end 2014, another 200
buses will have been added to further improve existing services and
for new services.
4. Mr Yeo Teck Guan, the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Group
Director for Public Transport, said, “We have been monitoring the
performance of the BSEP services closely. Commuters are already
experiencing tangible and perceptible improvements in bus services
and feedback has been positive. Some have cited shorter waiting
times while others have experienced less crowded buses. This is a
good thing. We are aware that there are still areas in our bus
services that need improvement, we hope to further enhance
connectivity and raise service levels as we roll out more BSEP
buses in the upcoming quarters.”
5. SBS Transit CEO, Mr Gan Juay Kiat said, "Since September last
year, we have introduced seven new bus services, extended one bus
route and made improvements on 77 bus services. We have stepped up
delivery of new buses and recruited more Bus Captains. We are
heartened by the positive feedback from our commuters. We will
continue to work at improving our services to better meet their
needs."
6. Vice President of SMRT Buses Ltd, Mr Tan Kian Heong said,
“Under the BSEP, SMRT has in the past year injected more than 75
new buses to expand our bus service network, reduce crowdedness and
improve the frequencies of our bus services. These results are an
encouraging testament to successful government and industry
partnership. We look forward to rolling out more services in the
years to come, to connect residents to key transport nodes and
other destinations in the city areas.”
Existing bus services improved
7. Improvements in the form of additional buses and hence
capacity were made to 1111
existing bus services with heavy ridership, or 2 in every 5 basic
bus services2.
These improvements benefit many commuters as the services are
geographically spread island-wide.
8. BSEP also enabled these services to operate at shorter
intervals and commuters now experience shorter waiting times. SBS
Transit Service 335, for example, now runs at an improved frequency
of 7 to 8 minutes during the morning peak and 7 to 9 minutes during
the evening peak periods. The service previously ran at a frequency
of 9 to 11 minutes during the morning peak, and about 10 to 13
minutes during the evening peak.
9. About 40 bus services are also now less crowded based on
analysis of ticketing and GPS data. These include SMRT’s Service
106, which has seen peak hour crowding come down by about 15%.
Better connectivity with new bus services
10. 14 new BSEP bus services3
have been introduced to improve bus connectivity, with 13 operated
by the public transport operators (PTOs), and one operated by a
private bus operator (the Jurong West City Direct Bus Service 651
launched today).
11. Mr Willy Wong, 54, self-employed, is one of the commuters
who have benefitted from the new bus services. Commenting on the
new SBS Transit Service 50, he said: “The new service gives me an
alternative bus route to travel from my house to Sengkang MRT
station and Compass Point. It is more direct than the existing
Service 163 so it brings more convenience to residents in the
Fernvale area like me.”
12. SMRT’s parallel Service 850E that connects Yishun to the CBD
has also been well received by commuters. The operator has doubled
the number of morning trips to four to cater to the high
ridership.
13. By the end of 2013, two more new services will be
implemented to further improve connectivity in areas like Taman
Jurong and Bukit Panjang. Details of these new bus services are
being worked out. We will provide more information closer to the
implementation dates.
14. Tapping further on private bus operators to augment the
PTOs’ resources, 9 more new City Direct bus services will be
progressively rolled out from January next year. Apart from these,
LTA will also work with private bus operators to operate short
services during peak hours, such as localised routes in estates
that bring residents to a nearby transport node. These services
will complement the existing feeder bus services operated by the
PTOs. LTA will call tenders for these short services from the third
quarter of this year for progressive implementation from 2014.
