I feel like slapping Gekpohboy alr. (ok i dun literally mean it
but sorry for getting triggered) "remove the bus connection to
Larkin Bus Terminal...Larkin Bus Terminla is for holiday
makers...only a few people (around 30) actually take 170 everyday
to get from Larkin Bus Terminal to Singapore..." I admit i
cannot physically be present at the checkpoint to observe
this but at least make comments that make sense like carbikebus.
And here are the reasons why:
1. If u talk abt people commuting to Singapore daily, workers
have their blue Bas Pekerja/Bas Kilang and students have their
orange Bas Sekolah, and the fact that it is also not convenient for
commuters to transfer at Larkin to get out of Singapore, so yes,
maybe can remove. --> But bear in mind, the freq of 170 is at
abt 10-15 min per bus, so that stretch frm JB CIQ to larkin with
standees is justified. Plus, there are also crucial bus services at
Larkin (other than express bus services in case udk)
2. Have you seen how hectic it gets especially it gets to
important festive seasons like CNY and hari raya? Yes we have
alternatives (CW1,2, SJE), but 170 is still favoured by many due to
its cleanliness, reliablity, and convenience (yes, surprisingly
even when ppl are in Malaysia). And we are not talking abt
practicality, we are talking abt favourism. Commuters dun talk abt
practicality, they think abt favourism. Its literally hell in case
you havent been there yet. (Consider this: long queues for 170X at
Kranji MRT, but not as much for CW1. Why?)
Yes i agree with you that the loop at JB Sentral is redundant,
but personally I think this is the best way: 170X will still
continue to go to JB Sentral as well as 160. Reason being some 170X
shifts can convert to 170 and proceed to Larkin aft clearing JB
Customs, and the fact that 160 freq is also poor, it shldnt be a
prob ferrying those 1 or 2 lazy ppl to JB Sentral. 950, like what
carbike bus mentioned, shld go to Larkin. And yes, 170X needs
parking lots, and i mentioned b4 there ought to be a proper ter to
house 170X and CW1 to handle the mess and danger everytime at that
bus stop (yes dangerous, literally. 925 long queues and crowd and
buses cutting in to the bus stop dangerously. Chaotic). I wont
agree to you 170M idea thou.
A qns for carbikebus: Why such thoughts for AC7?
I am aware of the local bus routes that originate at Larkin Bus
Terminal and provide bus service for the surrounding areas. There
are routes that connect to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint, and 170 is
one of them. The other ones I know are CW1 and CW2 operated by
Causeway Link.
I have observed before the loading on bus service 170 in Johor
Bahru, at around 6:20am. There were only a handful of people taking
the bus to Larkin Bus Terminal, and around 10-15 of them taking the
bus to the Johor Bahru Checkpoint.
(For more information, read the
article I wrote at page 39 of this
thread.)
I understand this may not be the accurate representation of the
passenger volume on bus service 170 during morning peak hours, as
the service begins in 5:20am and I was only able to observe the
loading at around 6:20am, when most of the people at Larkin would
have already reached the Causeway, to avoid getting caught in the
jam on the Causeway to Singapore.
Anyway, considering there are around 11 trips made to and from
Larkin Bus Terminal between 5:30am and 8:30am, and assuming the
number of people on each trip is about the same, the total number
of people using bus service 170 during morning peak hours should be
around 33 towards Larkin, and 150 from Larkin.
Previously, I figured out that the cost of operating a public
bus service is around $4 per kilometre. Considering a trip from
Johor Bahru Checkpoint to Larkin Bus Terminal and back spans
14.2km, a trip like this costs around $56.80 to operate.
With an average of 16 people per trip, the amount of fare
revenue generated is only $18.56. A loss of $38.24 is incurred per
trip, which is equivalent to 67.32% of the operating cost. And this
is during peak hours. Imagine the amount of loss incurred during
other hours of the day, on usual days when very few holiday makers
use Larkin Bus Terminal? The loss could be around 130% of the
operating cost, which is obviously not sustainable.
In view of the other bus services that provide the connection
between Larkin Bus Terminal and the Johor Bahru Checkpoint, it may
be better to withdraw our bus service 170 from Larkin Bus Terminal,
and shorten the route to Johor Bahru Checkpoint.
I do not know about the bus fare on the other bus routes, but
considering the highest bus fare I paid for a ride on a local bus
route was five Ringgit ($1.67), I am sure the price should be about
the same as our bus service 170 ($1.16), or lower than that.
With regards to bus service CW1 operated by Causeway Link, there
are also many people taking that bus to Singapore from the Johor
Bahru Checkpoint. If there is less people taking the Causeway Link
bus services as compared to bus service 160 and 170, it could be
due to the lack of awareness of the Causeway Link services.
As for the congestion at the Causeway and Checkpoints, I know
how it feels to get caught in a jam that is barely moving.
Recently, our government announced that it will increase the
capacity of the Woodlands Checkpoint. This is on top of the
upcoming MRT line which will run between Woodlands North, Singapore
and Bukit Chagar, Malaysia. The traffic congestion problem would be
resolved once these projects are completed.
But for now, the only way to avoid the jam on the causeway is to
travel during non-peak hours - either very early in the morning,
very late at night, before 10am (to Johor Bahru), or 10am to 4pm
(to Singapore).