61's loading has dropped not because the people traveling on the
route have reduced, they have just adopted other ways to
travel.
When the bus frequency becomes erratic time and again, people
will stop using it. They will use their cars, use other bus
services and connections or take the MRT and switch to bus.
bunching on 61 is common, and a bus not coming for 20-25 mins is
common as well. Who will want to wait for a bus for so long when in
that much time you can reach from Outram Park to Jurong East by
MRT.
With the loading dropped, the bendies have gone too. Today 61 is
not a preferred service. Like SBST added DDs and fleet
addition to 43 to motivate people to take it, SMRT needs to do
something similar to regain confidence in 61.
43 frequency was poor before, and very few used it. People
complained DDs are under-utilized and not required. But by adding
DDs and fleet, SBST convinced people that 43 is a reliable service,
and now you can see the loading has improved a lot.
