Residents living in my constituency along Bedok Reservoir Road, Kaki Bukit Road 4 and Bedok North Avenue 3 in Aljunied GRC were recently disappointed to learn that several bus services they had been used to taking, namely bus 22, 66 and 506, were rerouted and no longer ply the road near their homes. I received many emails and WhatsApp messages from frustrated residents who lamented that their journeys had become longer and more inconvenient.
Longer, because the wait time for buses to Bedok MRT has become significantly longer as now only a single service, bus 228, can take them there.
More inconvenient, because they no longer enjoy a direct bus service between their homes and destinations in Jurong East, Bukit Batok, Bukit Timah and Upper Paya Lebar Road. Instead, they now have to make transfers — taking two buses or a combination of bus and MRT. (Full disclosure: I am one of those affected commuters, as I sometimes used to take bus 66 all the way home after constituency visits.)
The Government’s rationale for truncating these bus services is that ridership has been lower than before, there is route duplication with the Downtown line and that there are alternative travel options. These reasons have not gone down well with many of my residents, especially the elderly and those with elderly parents.
I therefore asked the Minister for Transport on 10 Jan 2022 in Parliament whether the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has conducted any studies on the effects of additional bus transfers on the elderly or disabled commuters that are brought about by the rerouting and withdrawal of bus services. I further asked how LTA assists elderly or disabled commuters who are faced with additional transfers, following the changes to bus services, including those living along Bedok Reservoir Road.
The Minister responded that when amending bus routes, LTA does its best to enable commuters to complete their journeys with minimal inconvenience, while balancing operational and financial considerations. He said the frequency of bus 228 was increased during the morning peak period for commuters who travel between Bedok Reservoir Road and Bedok Interchange.
I separately wrote to LTA on behalf of several residents who pointed out that the frequency of bus 228 was still not high enough to overcome the removal of bus 66 to Bedok MRT.
LTA acknowledged that there were “isolated trips with prolonged wait times due to poor operations”, and some resulted in crowded buses because of an uneven utilisation of buses. The transport regulator has since instructed SBS Transit, which operates bus 228, to “tighten its operations” and ensure its bus captains adhere closely to their schedules.
Here is the full Q&A in Parliament on 10 Jan 2022:
HELP TO ALLEVIATE IMPACT ON ELDERLY AND DISABLED COMMUTERS WHEN PUBLIC BUS SERVICES ARE RE-ROUTED OR DISCONTINUED
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether LTA has conducted any studies on the effects of additional bus transfers on the elderly or disabled commuters that are brought about by the re-routing and withdrawal of bus services; and (b) how does LTA assist elderly or disabled commuters who are faced with additional transfers, following the changes to bus services, including those living along Bedok Reservoir Road.
Mr S Iswaran: When amending bus routes, LTA does its best to enable commuters to complete their journeys on public transport with minimal inconvenience, while balancing operational and financial considerations.
For example, with the shortening of Service 22 and Service 66 which used to ply Bedok Reservoir Road, Service 65 was retained and adjusted so that commuters would continue to have a bus connection between the central areas and Tampines. LTA also increased the frequency of Service 228 during the morning peak, for commuters who travel between Bedok Reservoir Road and Bedok Interchange.
Service ambassadors are also deployed at key bus stops along the amended routes on the first few days of implementation to guide commuters, including the elderly. They assist commuters and advise them on the most efficient travel route to reach their destinations.
LTA and the Public Transport Council have also worked with the operators to promote a more inclusive and caring commuter culture in our public transport system to complement the above measures. This includes growing the Caring Commuter Champion volunteer corps to educate members of public to assist vulnerable commuters, including the elderly and people with disabilities.
Are you affected by these bus service changes? Drop me an email at gerald.giam@wp.sg or WhatsApp at 89250747 to share your experience and thoughts with me. If necessary, I will raise this matter again in Parliament to speak up on behalf of my residents.
