‘Fare keep increasing but waiting time for buses become longer’ — Netizens echo Gerald Giam’s call for assistance to residents affected by changed bus routes

Singapore — Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) took to Facebook on Sunday (Feb 5) to highlight a problem some of the residents from his constituency are facing, as altered bus routes have affected a number of them, especially those who are elderly or have elderly parents.

The MP wrote that some residents from Bedok Reservoir Road, Kaki Bukit Road 4 and Bedok North Avenue 3 have been “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.”

Mr Giam added that he has received “many emails and WhatsApp messages from frustrated residents who lamented that their journeys had become longer or more inconvenient.”

The inconvenienced residents now have a longer commute time to the Bedok MRT station because only one service takes them there, Bus 228.

Moreover, there is no longer a direct bus service between these residents’ homes and the places they wish to go in Jurong East, Bukit Batok, Bukit Timah and Upper Paya Lebar Road.

As a result of the route changes, they are required to make transfers. Instead of a direct route, they now need to take two buses or a bus plus the train.

Even Mr Giam has been affected by the alteration, writing that he himself takes Bus 66 on the way home after visiting constituents in the area.

“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,” the MP explained.

However, he added that “These reasons have not gone down well with many of my residents, especially the elderly and those with elderly parents.”

Mr Giam also wrote that he asked the Transport Minister in Parliament on Jan 10 if “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.”

He also asked how the LTA provides assistance to elderly or disabled commuters who have had difficulty with the route changes, 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,” wrote Mr Giam.

He added that the LTA has acknowledged that there were “isolated trips with prolonged wait times due to poor operations” and that some buses have been overcrowded due to uneven utilisation, as some residents had pointed out to him that the frequency of bus 228 was still not high enough to overcome the removal of bus 66 to Bedok MRT.

As a result of this, LTA has instructed SBS Transit, the operator for Bus 228, to “tighten its operations” and make sure that the bus captains follow the schedule closely.

Mr Giam wrote more on the topic here.

Many commenters echoed the points the Bedok Reservoir MP made in his post.

/TISG

Read also: How many retired officers have top civil service roles: MP Gerald Giam asks Parliament

How many retired officers have top civil service roles: MP Gerald Giam asks Parliament