Social responsibility or just poor business sense?
I've come to notice that most of these buses are empty and probably
losing money. The Citybuzz buses are double decker, and one would
be lucky to see an ang-moh, much less a local, sitting on the upper
deck. The drivers also seem to be in a hurry, even taking the
middle lane in Orchard Road. Looking at the relative success of the
Hippo buses, Citybuzz just pales in comparison.
Chinatown buses, though quick and direct, are probably still losing
money, as they reduced the frequency of the buses recently.
Perhaps the SBS wants to improve its image following its highly
unpopular price hikes in 2003, but some of its new services just
signals poor planning and business sense. The citybuzz buses
probably never expected much traffic in the first place, but why
implement them when there are so many modes of transport to get
arnd the city. (esp your two feet)? More worryingly, ridiculous
services like the Labrador Park bus were implemented when walking
into the park is probably quicker and more aesthetically pleasing
than waiting at the bus stop.
The SBS has indeed lived up to its promise that higher fares bring
about a greater variety and a higher standard of service. Yet, it
needs to seriously consider how it should go about doing so, to
bring maximum benefit to botht the people and the company.
