Are queuing berths really necessary at bus interchanges
-
Queuing Berths will only slow down the boarding process and increase dwell time of the buses and delay them.
Queuing berths are under-utilized. Who really bothers to queue up? A quick survey will actually tell you that most of the passengers boarding the bus at the interchanges don’t really join in the queue. If you are a passenger, ask yourself, do you use the queuing berth all the time?
The reasons are as follows,
Redundancy
Estimated Bus Arrival Time Information is readily available. Prior knowledge of bus arrival time reduces the necessity of queuing up.
A substantial portion of passengers arrive at the boarding berths just in time when the bus arrives. Many of them choose not to join the queue but instead, clog at the entrance door and wait for all passengers who have queued up to board the bus before they finally board.
Availability of shopping amenities in the form of shops, mini-vendors, etc Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio. There are many things to do instead of just queuing up.
There are more than one available choice of bus services to their destination. What’s the point of queuing up?
Some may need to go toilet and hence, reluctant to queue up.
Safety Hazards
In the event of heavy downpour at the older interchanges, etc Yishun, Tampines, the queuing berths are not properly sheltered and rain may splash in.
Queuing berths are dangerous as they entice many naughty school students (especially boys) to play monkeys and leap over them. They think it is standard-obstacle-course (SOC) and may get injured if they are not careful. I see some adults trying dangerously to wriggle underneath the railings also.
Queuing berths are dangerous as they restrict mobility. If a blur blur driver loses control of his bus and drives into the berth, the whole line of queuing passengers kenna.
Many mega bus stops in CBD have higher passengers flow during rush hours but do not have queuing berths. Conversely, bus terminals like Changi Airport, St Michael’s, Yio Chu Kang have fewer bus services. Queuing berths are there but underutilized.
There are 12 bus services at Shenton Way Terminal but no queuing berths. There are only 5 services at Sembawang Interchange and yet there are queuing berths.
If queuing berths are effective, then they should be implemented at the bus stops also.
You see any queuing berths in the train platforms? No..right?
To minimize the unnecessary dwell time, convert Woodlands Interchange into clusters of mini-bus stops without queuing berths.
Fine-tune the fare computation system to cater for simultaneous boarding using every door, just like train.Don’t need to have dedicated entrance door or exit doors. This will only slow down the boarding process.
If need be, rope in bus attendances/security personnels to control the crowd when the bus has arrived for boarding.
eg. When bendy bus arrives for boarding, all 3 doors open to let passengers board quickly so that the bus can move off as early as possible, just like trains
Don't need to worry about kiasu passengers queue jumping, vying or shoving one another to board the bus since this phenomon is already inherent at bus stops or MRT trains
Bus stops should have this practice also.
-
no queueing berth - boarding for 168 at Woodlands, 969 at Tampines, 179A at Boon Lay will be require at least 5 bus attendants/security personnel per service.
-
there is a small bar for seating and resting as some may be medical unfit at that time, not so much of queuing...
-
You know what's the queue berth for?
-
Originally posted by carbikebus:
You know what's the queue berth for?
Its for SOC.
Read carefully!
-
Aha,But he's funny leh
-
The TS is talking nonsense.
-
No queuing berth all go haywire I tell u,There're prone to pax fighting and pushing.If not why they bother spend $$$$$$ built it for?
-
Imagine Woodlands Checkpoint no queueing berth..
-
Sure some ladies prone to molest too
-
Very innovative article...
-
Originally posted by No_10_Tomas:
Queuing Berths will only slow down the boarding process and increase dwell time of the buses and delay them.
Queuing berths are under-utilized. Who really bothers to queue up? A quick survey will actually tell you that most of the passengers boarding the bus at the interchanges don’t really join in the queue. If you are a passenger, ask yourself, do you use the queuing berth all the time?
The reasons are as follows,
Redundancy
Estimated Bus Arrival Time Information is readily available. Prior knowledge of bus arrival time reduces the necessity of queuing up.
A substantial portion of passengers arrive at the boarding berths just in time when the bus arrives. Many of them choose not to join the queue but instead, clog at the entrance door and wait for all passengers who have queued up to board the bus before they finally board.
Availability of shopping amenities in the form of shops, mini-vendors, etc Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio. There are many things to do instead of just queuing up.
There are more than one available choice of bus services to their destination. What’s the point of queuing up?
Some may need to go toilet and hence, reluctant to queue up.
Safety Hazards
In the event of heavy downpour at the older interchanges, etc Yishun, Tampines, the queuing berths are not properly sheltered and rain may splash in.
Queuing berths are dangerous as they entice many naughty school students (especially boys) to play monkeys and leap over them. They think it is standard-obstacle-course (SOC) and may get injured if they are not careful. I see some adults trying dangerously to wriggle underneath the railings also.
Queuing berths are dangerous as they restrict mobility. If a blur blur driver loses control of his bus and drives into the berth, the whole line of queuing passengers kenna.
Many mega bus stops in CBD have higher passengers flow during rush hours but do not have queuing berths. Conversely, bus terminals like Changi Airport, St Michael’s, Yio Chu Kang have fewer bus services. Queuing berths are there but underutilized.
There are 12 bus services at Shenton Way Terminal but no queuing berths. There are only 5 services at Sembawang Interchange and yet there are queuing berths.
If queuing berths are effective, then they should be implemented at the bus stops also.
You see any queuing berths in the train platforms? No..right?
To minimize the unnecessary dwell time, convert Woodlands Interchange into clusters of mini-bus stops without queuing berths.
Fine-tune the fare computation system to cater for simultaneous boarding using every door, just like train.Don’t need to have dedicated entrance door or exit doors. This will only slow down the boarding process.
If need be, rope in bus attendances/security personnels to control the crowd when the bus has arrived for boarding.
eg. When bendy bus arrives for boarding, all 3 doors open to let passengers board quickly so that the bus can move off as early as possible, just like trains
Don't need to worry about kiasu passengers queue jumping, vying or shoving one another to board the bus since this phenomon is already inherent at bus stops or MRT trains
Bus stops should have this practice also.
Uncle. The exit door card readers are for EXITING only!
Plus, without berths, why even build them?