More parallel bus routes needed..Big towns like Tampines need at
least a service each parallel with East West & Downtown
line.
Tampines is actually doing quite well with 2 MRT lines and a
number of full-day express services like 5, 23, 59, 127 and
518.
There are many towns with only 1 or no MRT lines and these towns
deserve more parallel bus services. Examples include...
Hougang
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: 27 & 72 to Tampines, 81, 88 & 89
to Pasir Ris and 161 to Woodlands (161), none to downtown or western
SG
Punggol
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: 3 to Pasir Ris, 34/118 to Tampines, 117
to Seletar, none to
downtown or western SG
Ang Mo Kio
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: none
Sembawang
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: 858 to Changi Airport, none to downtown or western
SG
Bukit Batok
MRT line: only 1 (one can also take a bus to Beauty World/Hillview
to take DTL)
Full-day express services: 174 to Boon Lay, 506 & 985 to Toa
Payoh & eastern SG, none to downtown
Jurong West
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: only 502 (very very slow from Jurong
West to Toh Guan Rd... An one-hour journey from Pioneer Rd North to
Orchard spends 40-45 minutes from Pioneer Rd North to Toh Guan)
Lakeside/Corporation
MRT line: only 1
Full-day express services: none (in theory one can take
154 and transfer to 97/197 along AYE, but waiting time can be
long)
Of course there are more examples....
One day, if the sole MRT line in these towns has a breakdown,
people living in these towns will have a hard time travelling to
downtown or across the island, simply due to a lack of fast
parallel bus services.
However, there will always be a problem of resource allocation.
Do you think LTA can find enough buses and drivers for these fast
parallel routes, when their aim is to make everyone take the
MRT?
