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How do I use my Ez-link card correctly when travelling on buses?
For more information, please refer to the TransitLink website, http://www.transitlink.com.sg/info_usingbus.html.
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What are the bus and ticketing equipment breakdown procedures?
For more information, please refer to the TransitLink website, http://www.transitlink.com.sg/info_usingbus.html.
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Sometimes, two buses of the same
service arrive at the same time with one bus being overcrowded and the other almost
empty. Why?
The reason for this is largely due to adverse traffic
conditions on the road and other conditions such as road closure, diversions, weather,
accidents etc. Indeed, more than 70% of our delays or bunching are due to these reasons.
For example, assuming 3 buses started out being 10min apart which was sufficient to
cater to the demand along the route (see below).
Bus 1 did not meet any problems and hence, was able to run on
schedule. Bus 2 encountered a jam while Bus 3 did not encounter any problems. Hence,
the time between Bus 1 and Bus 2 was lengthened, while the time between Bus 2 and
Bus 3 was shortened (see below).
By taking more than its share of passengers Bus 2 slowed down
as a result, while Bus 3 picked up fewer passengers which caused it to speed up. Bus
2 was thus caught in a vicious cycle that came to a head when the third bus caught
up.
To the passenger on the ground, he would have waited 15min and it would seem that
Bus 2 was crowded while Bus 3 was relatively empty. In the above situation, adding
more buses is not a solution, as the same buses will end up being caught in the jam.
More bunching will occur when they do eventually emerge from the traffic slowdown.
We assure our commuters that we try as far as possible to ensure that our buses arrive
at regular intervals including adjusting the assignment of buses to suit real time
conditions though there is a limit to how changes can be made.
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It is easier for me to alight from the
bus if I stand near the exit door, why should I move to the rear of the bus?
The capacity of a bus is a combination of its seating
and standing capacity. When passengers fail to move to the rear and prefer to stand
near the exit door, the flow of passengers becomes restricted within the bus. This
will cause delay as the Bus Captain would have to appeal to passengers to move in
to make space for others to board.
Not only is this tiring for the Bus Captain, it also causes delay to all passengers
on the bus as well as those wanting to take the bus along the route. We urge our passengers
to move to the rear to allow others to board the bus.
Likewise, we also urge our passengers to take the seat near the window if no one is
occupying and not put their belongings on any empty seats.
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Why does the Bus Captain drive
so slowly?
We hope commuters can appreciate that traffic conditions
on the road can vary. Our schedules, however, can only be planned to meet what is
usually the expected traffic condition at the various times of the day. There will
be times when the traffic conditions are unusually clear or congested and this often
results in buses being too early or late.
When traffic conditions are especially clear, our Bus Captains are required to regulate
speed if they notice that they are ahead of schedule. This ensures that the Bus Captains
keep the arrival times at the bus stops as close to the planned schedule as possible
to avoid any disruption like bus bunching.
From the perspective of the passengers on board the bus, the journey seems slow but
to the passengers waiting at the bus stops along the route, they expect their bus
to arrive on time as scheduled. Nonetheless, we will monitor our buses closely and
make appropriate adjustments to the running time when necessary.
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Can SBS Transit deploy more air-conditioned
buses?
Previously, the authority put a limit to the number
of air-conditioned buses we can own so as to give commuters a choice between taking
air-conditioned or non air-conditioned buses. Hence, we ended up buying more non air-conditioned
buses than air-conditioned buses. The limitation on the number of air-conditioned
buses has since been lifted and SBS Transit has committed to having a fully air-conditioned
bus fleet.
But as we have purchased more non air-conditioned buses in the past due to the limitation,
we must be prudent in the pace we replace the non air-conditioned buses to air-conditioned
ones as to keep cost low and fares affordable. To achieve that, the replacement of
the non-air-conditioned buses has to be done progressively. All non air-conditioned
buses that are in good serviceable condition will continue to be deployed and will
be replaced when they reach their statutory lives.
As it is, over 90% of SBS Transits buses are already equipped with air-conditioning
and the number of non air-conditioned buses has been declining from 282 buses in 2003,
to 249 buses in 2004. This has been further reduced to 244 buses now. These buses
will be replaced eventually.
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Some
of the air-conditioned buses are either too cold or too warm. Why cant the Bus Captain
adjust the temperature?
The Bus Captains are not able to adjust the temperature. The
temperature is automatically adjusted using climatic control. It is a fact that generally,
you will feel colder in the morning and not as cold in the afternoon in the air-conditioned
bus due to the external ambient temperature although the settings of the air-condition
remained unchanged.
We have rigorous maintenance program for bus air-conditioning. If the air-conditioning
in the bus is found to be faulty, it will be sent for repair immediately. We welcome
our passengers to call our feed back hotline, 1800-287 2727 should they find the air-conditioning
in our buses to be malfunctioning.
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Are
animals allowed on buses and trains?
Animals are not allowed on board our buses and trains
due to hygiene and religious reasons. But guide dogs accompanying visually handicapped
commuters are allowed.
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Sometimes,
Bus Captains refuse to open the door for me despite seeing me trying to catch the
bus. Why?
All our Bus Captains are required to stop for passengers
to board the bus before moving off if they can see the commuters approaching the bus
and the bus is still in the bus stop bay. However, if the bus is partially out of
the bus stop bay even though it is still within the bus lane, the Bus Captains have
been advised not to stop for alighting or boarding activities for safety reasons.
Also, our Bus Captains have to concentrate on looking at their right so as to exit
from the bus bay and hence may not be able to see passengers running towards the bus
from the left or from the rear. For the safety of our passengers, we do not encourage
our passengers to run after the bus, they should wait for the next bus to arrive.
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The
bus advertisements pasted on the bus windows get in our way. Can the advertisements
be removed?
SBS Transit is constantly looking at avenues to defray our operating
costs and keep the fares affordable for our passengers. Bus advertising is one of
them. We are mindful of the need for our passengers to look out of our buses. Therefore,
when we first introduced wholly painted buses, we adopted on our own accord, a guideline
of covering less than one third of the window space on our buses. In addition, for
the covered areas we made sure that the material used is highly perforated to allow
passengers to see through the windows in the day and night. Such material also works
like a sun filter film on most windows, providing shade from the glaring sunlight
during the day.
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The
programmes on TV Mobile are either in English or Mandarin. How about Malay or Tamil
progammes? Also, the sound is too loud. Why cant we have a peaceful bus ride?
SBS Transit worked with MediaCorp to install TV Mobile
in our buses in 2001. MediaCorp looks after the programming and maintenance of the
television sets while SBS Transit provides the space in the buses. The purpose is
to provide infotainment to our commuters so as to enhance their travel experience.
This is also a source of revenue for us to defray costs.
According to the latest ACNielsen survey, English (71%) is the preferred language
for TV Mobile programmes, followed by Mandarin (26%). Bearing in mind the language
sensitivity in a multi-lingual country like Singapore, our programming content is
88% in English and 12% in Mandarin (based on a typical week). 76% of the commuters
surveyed agree that TV Mobile make their bus journeys more pleasant. 72% feel that
the volume is just right.
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