http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Transport/Story/A1Story20110609-283121.html
COMMUTERS will soon be able to beat the public-transport crunch
during rush hour, thanks to a slew of measures to be rolled out in
the coming months.
The measures, which aim to tackle overcrowding, will start with
a significant increase in the capacity of Singapore's public-bus
system, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday.
He was speaking to reporters at the commencement of tunnelling
works for the Beauty World MRT Station in Upper Bukit Timah
Road.
Mr Lui explained that, because of the longer gestation period
for rail and rail-related projects, buses will be a "matter of high
priority in the coming months".
Buying a train takes three to four years, while putting a new
MRT line in place takes seven to eight years due to the
complexities involved, he said.
Top on the list of measures is a smartphone app that will tell
commuters not only when a bus will arrive, but also how crowded the
bus is.
The information will appear on mobile devices in a colour- coded
format, Mr Lui said.
For example, green could mean that commuters are likely to be
able to find seats on the bus, while amber could mean there is only
standing room, and red would tell commuters that the bus is
packed.
This would help commuters make more informed decisions on their
transportation routes, he said.
Mr Lui also plans to deploy empty buses to more bus stops that
tend to see higher human traffic.
This move has been an ongoing practice of bus operators, to
enable more commuters to get on board.
For example, SMRT deploys empty buses along 38 bus routes to
ensure that passengers waiting along the route can board the bus
during peak hours, a spokesman said.
Mr Lui plans to work closely with bus operators to
systematically determine more congestion hot spots.
He said that increasing the capacity of the bus system, or
tackling overcrowding on buses, would be a "cautious and gradual
process" if left to operators alone.
"It is necessary for the Government to work together with the
operators, so that we can (increase) this capacity in a very timely
fashion," Mr Lui said.
More concrete plans will be revealed in due course, he
added.
Overcrowding on buses, as well as MRT trains, has been a
hot-button issue in Singapore. Commuters have complained of long
waits, in some instances having to wait for several buses to pass
before being able to get on board during peak hours.
Mr Lui has been spotted taking the bus and the MRT on two
separate occasions since becoming Transport Minister last
month.
Yesterday, he rode on the LRT for a loop trip from Choa Chu Kang
station during the morning peak period, along with Member of
Parliament Liang Eng Hwa. While he had a "comfortable ride", Mr Lui
said he was aware of the frequent LRT breakdowns.
He said: "(The Land Transport Authority) has been coming down on
SMRT to make sure that they put in all the necessary effort to try
and improve this.
"I think we can still do more."
While Mr Lui said that there will be associated "holding and
opportunity costs" in meeting the demand for more buses, he added
that "if we don't meet the demand, there is a certain social cost
associated with it".
"We ought to be able to do better in this regard." <!-- Start
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