SINGAPORE: Dangling carrots such as discounts or
rewards to get more train commuters to travel during off peak hours
are unlikely to be effective.
Instead, observers say more concrete steps that can
directly reduce crowds are needed.
They added they want the government to make a
stronger push for flexible working hours.
Getting on the train can be a squeeze during the morning peak
period, typically from 7.30am to 8.30am.
A six-month study is under way, to find out if incentives will
nudge some commuters to modify their travel patterns and help ease
the congestion on trains.
If commuters travel between the 6.30am -7.30am and 8.30am-9.30am
periods on weekdays, they will earn credits which can be redeemed
for prizes or money credited to their EZ-link card.
The study was launched on 10 January and as of last Friday, some
3,000 of the 20,000 commuters have signed up.
Some other commuters said they would not mind taking part.
One said: "If it has an direct impact on the travel charges, I
would".
Another said: "I don't mind changing my travel hours."
But for most, old habits die hard.
"I won't, because even if it is very packed, I will just go on with
it. What can it be? What can the reward be, seriously?" asked one
commuter.
Added another: "It defeats the purpose, why should I wake up one or
two hours earlier, just to save 10-20 cents? I still can squeeze
into the MRT because sleep is more important."
Just last October, SMRT tripled the discount to 30 cents that it
gives to commuters who exit from designated stations within the
city area before 7.45am.
SMRT said it is still monitoring the take-up rate, adding it
typically takes six to nine months to stabilise.
Observers say such incentives do not address the larger issue of
managing travel demand.
Freelance transport consultant Tham Chen Munn said: "We have to
look at the bigger picture, look at employers, or even the culture.
Can we accept flexible working hours?"
"They should spend the money on education, come up with a campaign
to... highlight the time savings or how much it helps the
economy."
National University of Singapore Department of Civil Engineering
Associate Professor Lee Der-Horng said: "If the flexible working
hours-- the difference is only 30 minutes, 40 minutes -- the effect
will be very marginal."
"In many overseas examples, the so-called flexible working hours in
a day, they just need to have two to three core hours... , which
means all the employees in the company should be in the office;
other than that, they have 100 per cent freedom. But in Singapore
there can be an impact to business culture."
Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport member Ang Wei
Neng said: "The more permanent solution is really that the
government service, or even schools stagger their opening hours so
that they can spread the load and not everyone will need to reach
office by 8.30 or 9.00am.
"Certainly, there are also other associated issues related to
staggering hours but we need to try.
"We have not systematically staggered the working or starting
operating hours for different government agencies as well as
private companies, so we might want to start small and try out in
some region that will see whether the results will be positive or
otherwise.)"
Since the recent study was launched, similar calls were made by
those who gave their views on the government's feedback portal,
Reach.
Observers acknowledged it may be difficult to effect a change in
the mindsets of commuters and companies, but felt if more thought
is given to this, it could just work in easing Singapore's
transportation woes.
- CNA/wk
