Agree with you, just look at how many of Singapore's bus bays at
bus stops have actually been extended or even newly-built to
accomodate 2 Bendys coming at one shot. The bus bays were designed
primarily to accomodate 2 12m buses, not 2 Bendies together.
But in all fairness, SMRT didn't do anything wrong. Most of
their Bendies were incorporated from TIBS who had ordered them? And
the fact that they haven't brought in any Bendy demo since
then..
Yeah. Most of SMRTB's woes lie with TIBS's acquisitions.
TIBS had a hodge-podge fleet with a huge bendy fleet. Quite a
nightmare as far as mainteinance and day-to-day operations is
concerned. There too, have been insider stories of how TIBS had
been bleeding and the use of accounting tools to transfer losses,
but of course that's not verified, but I wouldn't be surprised at
that.
SMRT could on the other hand, have taken a decisive step in
eliminating these little pockets of here-there-everywhere types.
They didn't. And understandably too, given how replacing them would
be extremely expensive and hit profit figures. It took many years
before SMRT made the OC500 acquisition, during which time, the DAF,
Hino, Dennis, Merc, Nissan, Scania (just look at how many types
already!) languished.
So whose fault? I am inclined to blame the government although I
would think that hindsight is always 6/6 and the government in
fairness, has recognised the need to incentivise upcoming bus
purchases, although it still remains perplexing that the $1.1b
would be a "one-off" exercise.
