Shorter wait for buses from 1st Aug 2009 during peak hours
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Aug 1, 2009 Shorter wait for buses80% of services must arrive every 10 minutes during peak periods By Yeo Ghim Lay COMMUTERS can expect a shorter wait for buses from Saturday, as a stricter service standard for bus operators kicks in. At least 80 per cent of bus services must now come not more than 10 minutes apart during peak hours on weekdays, down from 15 minutes.
Feeder bus services, which link heartland estates to MRT stations and bus interchanges, will be held to a higher standard: At least 85 per cent of them must come not more than 10 minutes apart during rush hours on weekdays.
The new standard does not apply on weekends and during off-peak hours.
The Public Transport Council (PTC), which tracks the performances of bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT, said on Saturday that the two companies were ready to meet the new standards. To do so, the operators have had to roster more bus trips each week, buy buses and hire more drivers.
Four in 10 bus services - or 109 out of the 261 basic bus services now running - will have their waiting times shaved to fall in with the new requirements, the PTC said on Friday.
Not all services are required to run at the raised frequency of every 10 minutes because some operate on routes with low demand, a PTC spokesman explained.
Traffic conditions elsewhere may also upset bus frequencies, he added.
To cut the waiting times of the 109 services, the bus operators are running 1,300 more trips during the weekday rush hours each week. They have also deployed 116 new buses on the roads since early this year, and hired more bus drivers.
SBS Transit will spend $147 million on 400 new buses this year and has hired 200 bus drivers in the last two months. SMRT spent $25 million on new buses last year and will buy 66 more, said SMRT Buses' vice-president Kang Huey Ling.
Overall, the average frequency of the services will be raised by 18 per cent, and carrying capacity by 24 per cent.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, is pleased that bus waiting times are now shorter. 'But while it's good to have such guidelines, bus operators must make sure that they translate into a difference that commuters on the ground can feel,' he said.
Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times
In the full report,
SMRT says Service 970 will be redeployed on a 10 minute frequency during weekday peak hours instead of the current 16 - 19 minutes.
SBST on the other hand says Service 235 and 272 wil come on a 10 minute frequency instead of the current 13 - 15 minutes.
Lets do massive cameo spotting tomorrow. We might see lots of split shifts coming up during peak hours! =)
Wonder which other services will get extra buses besides 235, 272 and 970. -
Given the ideas that they are setting, its either that they might want to add bus fleets or to cut down runtime for the timetables for buses.
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Sv272 had 2757M added 6th July '09. Sv235 had 3774G added in January '09. Let's just say, none of the PTO's will leave such things until the last minute. The additions had occured in stages over preceding months. :lol:
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Originally posted by Junyang700:
In the full report,
SMRT says Service 970 will be redeployed on a 10 minute frequency during weekday peak hours instead of the current 16 - 19 minutes.
SBST on the other hand says Service 235 and 272 wil come on a 10 minute frequency instead of the current 13 - 15 minutes.
Lets do massive cameo spotting tomorrow. We might see lots of split shifts coming up during peak hours! =)
Wonder which other services will get extra buses besides 235, 272 and 970.235 got its fleet addition quite long ago.. in Q109.. 272 got theirs within the past 2 months.. 970 should be getting its fleet addition tml..
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LOL.. Means...
SMRT & SBST are not the least affected by the 10 min frequency rule at all!
Its just a normal fleet add.
For SBST, already added.
I've seen horribly full loadings on 970 towards Bukit Panjang on the PM peak hours these days from Chinatown to Hillview. So SMRT has to add more buses during peak hours to begin with. -
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Let's see if they deliver what they claim & hopefully this doesn't give rise to another fare increases.
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I wonder for the buses who have stable frequency?? Service 74 for instance.....Service 24 another example....
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Originally posted by Junyang700:
LOL.. Means...
SMRT & SBST are not the least affected by the 10 min frequency rule at all!
Its just a normal fleet add.
For SBST, already added.
I've seen horribly full loadings on 970 towards Bukit Panjang on the PM peak hours these days from Chinatown to Hillview. So SMRT has to add more buses during peak hours to begin with.SBST has been adding so many split shifts of late since late last year because of this 10min ruling which happens now.
Not too sure about SMRT, have not hear much of fleet adds from their side.
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Originally posted by SBS 9256 X:
I wonder for the buses who have stable frequency?? Service 74 for instance.....Service 24 another example....
services that go thru orchard and marina during peak periods frequency seems screwed up
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Originally posted by Junyang700:
LOL.. Means...
SMRT & SBST are not the least affected by the 10 min frequency rule at all!
Its just a normal fleet add.
For SBST, already added.
I've seen horribly full loadings on 970 towards Bukit Panjang on the PM peak hours these days from Chinatown to Hillview. So SMRT has to add more buses during peak hours to begin with.
Maybe thats why the 2nd batch OCs cameoed quite frequently on 970..might perm some buses there later- just a speculation guys.I really hope to see frequencies improve during peak hour.
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Originally posted by TIB537B:
Maybe thats why the 2nd batch OCs cameoed quite frequently on 970..might perm some buses there later- just a speculation guys.I really hope to see frequencies improve during peak hour.
I think those services which receive OCs recently like 61 and 961 and some others with regular cameos are those affected by the QoS effective today.
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i tink sv 292 can be an example:
formerly, 3 buses > 12 - 15 mins
current, 4 buses > 8 - 11 mins -
so is 966 included for this?
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Originally posted by Ajen:
so is 966 included for this?
Yeah, with Morning x-over to 184
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Originally posted by Volvo Olympian:
Yeah, with Morning x-over to 184
So TIB781L seen on 184 this morning was the new 966/184 crossover?
Meaning one extra split shift doing 966 around 6 plus 7 plus morning before it crosses over to do 184 at around 800am and returns to Bukit Panjang Interchange at around 845am? -
Originally posted by Junyang700:
So TIB781L seen on 184 this morning was the new 966/184 crossover?
Meaning one extra split shift doing 966 around 6 plus 7 plus morning before it crosses over to do 184 at around 800am and returns to Bukit Panjang Interchange at around 845am?
1. SMRT does not usually practice the habit of xovers that occur within the peak period.2. 184 doesnt take 45min for a full route on a weekday morning
the 966 bus most probably did 184 only (cos got the 963 xover to help out in the 10-min rule) in the morning, then do 966 in the evening.
Then you may ask, why not cut the 2 xovers and decently add 1 split shift on 966 instead? then do a 963/184 xover or something. Well that... beats me.
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Anyway there existed a supp. to 969 from 171 a few weeks ago. Does half a round trip to Tampines in the morning then go back depot liao.
First day of that implementation under new schedule 81B operated on that slot.
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Originally posted by Volvo Olympian:
Yeah, with Morning x-over to 184
lol you said 781L is on 966/184 2-3 times le but people still dun get it lol.
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Originally posted by .SBS9888Y.:
lol you said 781L is on 966/184 2-3 times le but people still dun get it lol.
Maybe too confusing to some people
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Wow... Now got so many weird weird AM peak x-overs!
What I know of now:
WLDEP 966 x-overs to 184 during AM PEAK
WLDEP 961 x-overs to 190 during AM PEAK
Any more contributions? =) -
Originally posted by Junyang700:
Wow... Now got so many weird weird AM peak x-overs!
What I know of now:
WLDEP 966 x-overs to 184 during AM PEAK
WLDEP 961 x-overs to 190 during AM PEAK
Any more contributions? =)WLDEP 61 > 190
WLDEP 173 > 963
KJDEP 970 > 925 -
Starting from yesterday there is a new supp. to 812 from 171. Duty 171S102. Does 4 half round trips on 812 during AM peak, starting from 5.45am and ending somewhere close to 9.50am. As a result the headway during AM peak is now 7-8 from the original 10.
969S107 also has been revised to operate 4 half round trips on 812 instead of 1 and a half round trips previously, starting from 3.36pm and ending at 7.40pm.
Get to take OC on 812 every morning at my usual timing... hehehe.
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This is true in orchard. Less than 15 mins you get to see the 2 same bus no arrive.
Not sure if it is the same in other parts of sg.
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SMRT leave everything to last minute
I suspect SBS has met way beyond e 80% trunk & 85% feeder QoS
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Originally posted by Communique07:
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Let's see if they deliver what they claim & hopefully this doesn't give rise to another fare increases.
Exactly. So much for the sweet talk.
Since they have said it, they ought to show it.