However having said that, if i was SBST, i would also have
declined to help even if the company wanted to. Firstly, there's
limited staff and of those available, none of the BC have been
trained the route to travel beforehand, and neither have they been
told their responsibilities. It's of the company's best interest to
not do something risky like this but instead to strengthen the
remaining routes that ply near MRT stations.
The issue lies very much with how the public transport
regulators have failed to mandate any contingency plans to cope
with such situations until the Dec breakdowns. LTA and PTC very
well knows SMRT does not have enough buses to cope with any large
scale breakdowns, yet they did not bother with the issue and
assumed the worst wont happen.
Yup that's why I feel that the most ideal situation is for the
regulating bodies to ensure this kind of co-ordination between the
two bus companies.
However I still feel SBST should render whatever help and
resources possible in such situations. There may be stranded
commuters who may not be clear of which bus routes lead to their
destination and such.. I feel that bus bridging services should
still be placed as the higher priority in such emergencies. In a
way, they get to their destination from station to station faster
too since, unlike regular bus services, they skip bus stops. This
can save these commuters from further delaying their travelling
journey.
Of course, the down side is the BCs aren't trained and may not
know the best routes to take. This is when I feel that since SMRT
had asked SBST for help, they should also provide them a laydown on
how the bus bridging services is being done, from pick up point to
the routes and so on.
In the future, the situation should be furthered improved when
the regulating bodies step in and take some measures in ensuring
the co-ordination of the two transport companies in the case of
such emergencies.
Just my two cents' worth