SINGAPORE: An unhappy commuter took to social media on Tuesday (July 2) to express how they felt about the new bus design.
In a post on the Facebook group ‘Complaint Singapore,’ the commuter raised concerns about the narrow space and limited capacity of the new buses, questioning why they were designed so small given the increasing population.
He also shared a photo of the bus crowded with standing passengers holding onto overhead handles and poles.
He said, “We understand that when the bus is full we’ll have to shift to the back, no issue for us but your bus is so small and narrow space here, how to keep moving to the back??”
In the comments section, several netizens agreed they should have made the buses wider because now the new aisle can only fit one passenger at a time.
One netizen commented that while she appreciated the effort to improve public transport, she believed more spacious designs should have been considered to accommodate the growing number of passengers.
According to her observation, the narrow aisles and compact size are not ideal, especially during peak hours when the buses are crowded.
Another netizen pointed out that the new design discourages passengers from moving further inside the bus.
She noted that anyone who wants to alight from the back or rear seats must navigate through crowded aisles, often leading to uncomfortable physical contact.
This, she argued, is why many passengers are reluctant to move in. She added, “Who likes to be molested? That’s why people don’t want to move in.”
A third netizen humorously stated that maybe the people who chose the bus design never actually rode a bus themselves, hinting that this lack of firsthand experience might explain why practical aspects like ensuring enough room for passengers appear to have been overlooked.
Additionally, some mentioned that they didn’t have a problem with the narrower aisle. Their main concern was the seating arrangement.
One netizen remarked, “So many face to face chairs, and occupied more space, and nobody wishes to sit face to face with strangers, too.”
On the contrary, others criticized the commuter, who complained and suggested he take a grab instead.
One netizen explained, “It’s designed to be a full low floor bus, meaning there’s zero to minimum steps you need to climb up.
If you elevate the platform for the rear portion, you get those old buses kind of width. It’s narrow now because of the engine’s size.”
Another netizen added, “Keep complaining things will worsen more than you ever realize so just be grateful for what you have unless you give better ideas to LTA to process.”