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For the past eight years, they have rescued nightbirds and
provided party—goers and nightshift workers a cheaper alternative
to get home after hours.
Now, while demand is on the up for one operator and fares have
been increased for the first time by the other, night bus services
here are at a crossroads.
Regular users of these services Today spoke to want the services
to be extended to Sundays and public holidays, frequencies
shortened and more routes to be added.
But improvements are unlikely to be on the horizon, industry
observers say.
The two existing operators, SBS Transit and SMRT, are currently
short of drivers and fuel costs have risen. Smaller bus operators,
meanwhile, are also not keen to cash in on this growing
segment.
While ridership has been “fairly stable over the years” for
SMRT, SBS Transit has seen ridership doubled from about a year ago,
to about 1,000 each night.
“The Nite Owl services are increasingly becoming more popular
with commuters and ridership is rising every month,” SBS Transit
spokeswoman Tammy Tan told Today.
“This is partly due to population growth as well as a buoyant
economy which has led to more malls and retail outlets extending
their operating hours on Fridays, Saturdays and even on public
holidays.”
In May, operator SMRT increased fares on their seven NightRider
services by 50 cents to $3.50. The fare adjustment — the first
since the services were rolled out in 2000 — was to mitigate an
increase of costs, said a SMRT spokesperson. SBS Transit’s services
remain at $2.50 and $3 if you pay by ez—link payment and cash
respectively.
According to both operators, commuters who frequent the bus
services are mainly teenagers and young adults returning home after
a night out, and workers performing late shifts. Current night bus
services run on Fridays, Saturdays and eves of public holidays from
11.30pm to 4.35am. They connect the downtown areas, like Orchard
and Marina, to major residential areas, such as Ang Mo Kio,
Woodlands, Jurong West and Pasir Ris.
With taxi fares rising last December, night buses have become a
cheaper way to travel home for some commuters.
Polytechnic student Jeremy Teo, who works part—time at a pub in
Clarke Quay, saves about $12 in taxi fares when he catches a
nightrider service to his home at Yio Chu Kang. “It is definitely
cheaper if you don’t mind the wait,” said the 19—year—old, who
counts a 30—minute wait as his longest.
The long wait is often cited by commuters for giving the night
bus a miss. Another common complaint is that buses occasionally
miss passengers who could have been waiting at bus stops away from
the city centre.
Store assistant Koh Ee Meng, who waited at Tiong Bahru Road
during Christmas Eve last year, gave up on his 25 minute wait after
a bus failed to stop as he tried to flag it down. “I was tired and
didn’t want to risk being missed by another bus,” he said.
There are a total of 15 night bus services, running at intervals
of 16 to 30 minutes, plying the roads now. During the service’s
peak in 2001, there were at least 22 night bus services on the
roads.
Under the current bus service licensing framework, night buses
are classified by the Public Transport Council as “Basic—Plus bus
services”. Unlike premium bus services, the “Basic—Plus bus
services” are operated by two basic bus operators, SMRT and SBS
Transit, and the routes generally fall within the basic bus service
operators’ area of responsibility.
Given that smaller bus operators are entering the premium bus
market, will they be keen, if invited, to run night buses?
Unlikely, said those Today spoke to. The industry is facing a
severe shortage of bus drivers, said Bus Hub director Mr V
Anilan.
“Everyone wants an eight—to—five job. It is already tough
getting drivers now and will be even more difficult if you want
them to work in the graveyard shift,” he said.
In 2001, members of the Singapore School Transport Association
were roped in to provide bus services during the Chinese New Year
period, said chairman Wong Ann Lin. But he would not encourage his
members to enter the business. Many of his members are already
driving in the day so safety will be an issue if they do double
shifts, he said.
So, will the existing two operators expand their services? “We
will introduce more Nite Owl services if there is demand,” said SBS
Transit’s Ms Tan. For SMRT, the operator’s spokesperson said it is
always looking for ways to serve commuters better, pointing to an
extension of two NightRider services to HarbourFront last year to
serve patrons of St James Power Station.
Assistant Professor Terence Fan of the Singapore Management
University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business feels that both
operators should still be able to increase frequencies for the
night buses.
“Some other round—the—clock service—oriented industries do offer
some shift allowances for night shifts. That could be an
enhancements for bus drivers. If more passengers are taking the
service, that should help the operators pay,” he said. —
TODAY/sh