Overcrowded bus & MRT station: “Does Singapore need an upgrade in its public transportation infrastructure?”

SINGAPORE: After a video of a crowded bus was shared on social media with the question, “Does Singapore need an upgrade in its public transportation infrastructure?” many online users took part in a conversation on overpopulation.

An online user shared a short video of an overcrowded bus in an online forum on Tuesday (Feb 6). The seven-second clip featured passengers having to stand in a 121 bus because all the seats were already occupied.

Does Singapore Need an Upgrade in Its Public Transport Infrastructure?
byu/joegoldberg25 insingaporehappenings

This news came after another video of a crowded MRT station was shared on another platform.

In the comments section of the post, a common theme that came up was overpopulation.

“Our public transport infrastructure is in essence designed for a population of four million,” said one. “We have almost six million.”

“Stop overpopulating Singapore and really have better scheduling,” said another. “The place I stay at every morning around 7 to 8am, even with a double double-decker, we are squeezed to the max in the bus. If you manage to get up to 2nd level & get a seat, saved.”

“Some bus frequencies are horrible!” added a third.

Others, however, attributed the overcrowding to peak hours.

“That literally what happens everywhere in the world, in any transport, during peak hour,” wrote one, who defended the Singaporean public transportation system.

“Isn’t it? I’m a foreigner and I can assure you Singaporeans have one of the best transportation systems in the world. And it keeps improving.”

“The problem is not stacking enough busses on peak times for routes everybody is gonna take,” wrote another.

“Want an example? Who thought it was a good idea to have three bus lines go to NP and SIM from Clementi MRT station?’

This news came after a separate video was shared in another group on another social media platform. The clip, shared by online user Hooi New Lian, featured a crowded MRT station and was captioned, “This chaos at Kent Ridge is going to last until May 24,” the post read.

“This is normal for peak hour,” said one, while another wrote, “It only shows overpopulation.”

According to a report, one platform at the Telok Blangah station and another at Harbourfront station will be closed temporarily to give way to track work for incorporating Circle Line’s Stage 6 into the MRT network. This will reportedly go on from Jan 20 to May 24, 2024.