A Happy Journey Starts Like That!
PTC Launches Graciousness Programme on Public
Transport
1 The Public Transport Council
(PTC) will launch a public education programme titled A Happy
Journey Starts Like That! to promote graciousness on public
transport. The programme kicks off on 23 May at Circle Line
Discovery, a community event organised by the Land Transport
Authority (LTA) to provide the public a sneak preview of the Circle
Line MRT stations from Bartley to Marymount before they open for
revenue service on 28 May.
2 The programme will promote
the message of gracious commuting with special attention to the
following behaviour, which are considered most pertinent to a
pleasant and comfortable journey: -
- Giving way to alighting
train passengers,
- Giving up of reserved seating to the more needy and
- Moving in to the middle of train cars or rear of buses,
optimising the passenger carrying capacity and reducing waiting
time.
3 Programme service
ambassadors comprising staff and volunteers from the supporting
partners - the LTA and the two public transport operators, SBS
Transit and SMRT - will be on-site at selected MRT stations during
the morning and evening rush hours to facilitate commuters giving
way to alighting ones. This will be carried out for a period of
time after programme inception.
Programme Publicity
and Public Engagement
4 To inject a fun and
humourous element to the programme, the PTC has roped in popular
sitcom characters Phua Chu Kang (PCK) and his wife, Rosie, to help
spread the messages. Images of the couple asking commuters to be
gracious will adorn the platform screen doors at MRT stations and
windows on trains and buses. Posters carrying the message will also
be displayed on publicity boards at train stations and bus
interchanges. A catchy rap recorded by PCK will be playing at train
stations and on buses, urging commuters to be gracious, as "A Happy
Journey Starts Like That!". The rap video and posters will also be
disseminated to secondary schools and tertiary institutions to
reach out to the youths. The video can also be viewed on PTC's
corporate website at ptc.gov.sg.
5 From 28 May to 3 June, the
LTA and transport operators will also be scouting for commuters who
behave in a considerate manner on public transport. Each of such
will be rewarded with an Ez-Link card with a $10 value. Moreover,
their good deeds will be publicised on posters placed at selected
MRT stations.
6 To encourage public
participation, the PTC will organise a contest in which the public
can submit multimedia clips to STOMP on the programme theme "A
Happy Journet Starts Like That!". Winners stand to walk away with
nearly $8,000 worth of prizes. Interested personnel can go to
stomp.com.sg/happyjourney for more details.
New "Reserved Seating"
Signs and Floor Queue Line Design
7 The LTA, SBS Transit and
SMRT, have standardised the signs for priority seating in MRT
trains. The new signs are in blue and white, aligned with the
colour code for the International Symbol of Access, and state
"Reserved Seating" instead of "Priority Seating" to make the
call-for-action to give up the seats more authoritative and
forceful. All commuters may take these seats but are expected to
give them up to those who may need them more such as the elderly,
adults with small children and pregnant women.
8 New floor queue lines have
also been installed at eleven MRT stations in a six-month pilot to
test if these are more effective in enhancing guidance to boarding
commuters. The new design contains a green arrow to suggest right
of way for exiting passengers. The stations involved are Bartley,
Bishan, Bukit Batok, City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut, Lorong Chuan,
Marymount, Outram Park, Raffles Place, Serangoon and Tampines. The
pilot will start on 28 May when Circle Line from Bartley to
Marymount begins its revenue service.
9 Please refer to Annex A for visuals of the new "Reserved
Seating" signs and floor queue lines design.
Quotes by Supporting
Partners
10 "The LTA is fully behind
this graciousness on public transport programme. We are hopeful
that the programme will improve the commute experience and make
public transport a choice mode for more people, including drivers,"
said Mr Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, LTA.
11 "As we go about our daily
lives, we tend to forget about the need to be gracious. We hope
that Phua Chu Kang and Rosie, both of whom are well-loved by
Singaporeans, will be able to help instil a sense of community
caring and graciousness to all commuters. In so doing, they will be
able to make public transport travel a more pleasant and enjoyable
experience for all concerned," said Mr Gan Juay Kiat, Executive
Director, SBS Transit.
12 "SMRT welcomes this
initiative to encourage passengers to be gracious and courteous. It
is only with considerate actions of each and every passenger that
the total travelling experience for everyone can be pleasant and
enjoyable," said Ms Saw Phaik Hwa, Chief Executive Officer, SMRT
Corporation Ltd.
13 "Singapore can be a
gracious place and travelling on public transport can be a really
fuss-free and pleasant experience if we all just practice a little
consideration for each other. We are all capable of simple acts of
kindness," said Mr Teh Thien Yew, General Manager, Singapore
Kindness Movement Secretariat.
