Long wait for packed feeder bus despite assurances given
Letter from Chua Kim Choo
IT WAS announced last year that bus operators would have to pull up
their socks and improve to meet new service standards set. Bus
commuters were invited to send their feedback about waiting times
and overcrowding.
.
Yishun residents in Neighbourhood 6 rely on feeder service 812 to
connect the train at Yishun MRT station. I have written many times
to SMRT since 2002. But the service shows no improvement despite
assurances to the contrary.
.
Of late, the feeder service has been irregular and it is common to
wait for more than 15 minutes.
.
It has been even worse since the schools reopened. Along the route,
there are many schools, the latest addition being Chung Cheng
Secondary.
.
No additional service was introduced to serve the residents even
though the buses are always loaded with students going to school in
the morning.
.
As such, when the bus reaches the first stop along Yishun Street
61, it is fully packed. With residents getting on board, the buses
are filled to the doorsteps.
.
On Friday morning, I had to wait for more than 20 minutes and, when
the bus came, I had to squeeze in even though it was full.
Otherwise, I would have been late for work.
.
The previous day, there was frustration when some commuters had to
call for taxis after waiting for a long time at the bus stop.
.
It is not cheap to travel on these feeder services and the fares
continue to increase, but this does not seem accompanied by any
improvement in services.
.
May I appeal to the relevant authorities to tell us where else
besides the transport operators we can lodge our complaints about
bad service, long waiting times and overcrowding?
