World Class Land Transport System

I wrote a letter to the Strait Times Forum and it was publish in their online forum today. Here is the letter:

I refer to the report 'Top bus woes: Long wait and overcrowding' (Sunday Times Nov 27).

In 1996, the Singapore Government released a white paper titled “A World Class Land Transport System” in which plans to improve the quality of transportation for Singapore while keeping it affordable for the average people are laid out. LTA was found with the purpose of implementing this grand vision. Most noteworthy and relevant to the Sunday Times article is the following from the whitepaper:

Providing an attractive public transport system is the cornerstone of our land transport strategy. We will make public transport a more competitive transport mode.
Bus operators must be more customer oriented. LTA will work with the operators to make the following improvements in the next 2 years:

• Improving travel times through more bus priority schemes like priority at traffic light junctions and bus lanes;
• Introducing more choices like BusPlus services, air-conditioned express services, supplementary services and intra-town services;
• Improving commuter facilities by providing bus arrival times at bus stops, over the phone, Teleview or lnternet. Commuters can therefore plan the timing of their trips from home;
• Providing better bus services by refurbishing bus stops, providing more covered linkways and overhead pedestrian bridges and comprehensive display of service information; and
• Encouraging higher operational efficiency. With the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology which uses satellites to pinpoint the location of buses, bus operators will be able to significantly improve their scheduling and introduce mid-way services to relieve overcrowded spots.

Imagine finding out the arrival times of bus from your house or office through phone, Teleview or Internet. I can plan my bus journey from start to end, arriving at the bus stop one minute before the arrival of the bus without having to wait a long time, and arriving at my destination on time. I will not be late for work or appointments (and neither can my friends use the excuse that the bus was late.) Imagine that, a world class transportation system.

Does it sounds too good to be true? Is it an impossible dream? No it is not. Japan has done it. When I was in Tokyo for a holiday earlier this year, I was amazed by their bus system. You will see the arrival time of every bus printed on the notice board at the bus stop. Minutes before the arrival time of the bus, the people start appearing at the bus stop. At exactly the printed arrival time on the notice board (yes, on the dot) the bus will miraculously appear at the bus stop. People will board the bus in an orderly manner. At the stated timing, I arrived at my destination stop. I could not believe my eyes. And the bus driver wished me a good day when I got off. All these are achieved by the Japanese bus companies without the use fanciful technological systems. All they have are a good sense of punctuality, respect for the commuters and a lot of good planning.

This great vision was set out by the Government in 1996. Nine years has passed and we are nowhere near the world class land transportation dreamed up by the author of the white paper. What is LTA doing to achieve the goals set out for it? If there are 1001 reasons (quoted by Mr, Gerald Ee of the PTC) for the bus not arriving on time, please find 1001 solutions to solve the problems. Surveys and talking will do nothing to help the situation. Show us the results. Show us that Singapore, like Japan, can have a World Class Land Transport System.