Here is a simple and useful ways to improve the bus service. The bus should display the bus stop number in a sequence that depends on each bus service. This number can start from 1 at the start of the journey and increase by 1 for each stop. This will help commuters to know how many stops before their destination and the right stop to alight. If the commuter is not familiar with the stop, the commuter can ask the bus driver who can reply with the stop number.
When a passenger travels on a bus route that he or she is not familiar with, it is difficult to know the stop to get down. If you ask the other passengers, you are likely to encounter a foreigner who does not know. Even if you meet with a local person, the chance is that the local does not know either or there may be a language issue.
I wish to relate my personal experience. On a few occasions, I missed my bus stop (on my regular route) and did not realize that I had already passed it. If there was a sequential bus stop number, I would have been alerted. Sometimes, I alighted one stop before the actual stop and had to walk the extra distance. This would be avoided if there is a display of the bus stop number.
When a passenger travels on a bus route that he or she is not familiar with, it is difficult to know the stop to get down. If you ask the other passengers, you are likely to encounter a foreigner who does not know. Even if you meet with a local person, the chance is that the local does not know either or there may be a language issue.
I wish to relate my personal experience. On a few occasions, I missed my bus stop (on my regular route) and did not realize that I had already passed it. If there was a sequential bus stop number, I would have been alerted. Sometimes, I alighted one stop before the actual stop and had to walk the extra distance. This would be avoided if there is a display of the bus stop number.
There is a discussion in my Facebook. Someone just realized that this is a good idea, and can be easily implemented as the buses already have GPS to identify the location of each stop, so it is easy to display the bus stop number (in sequence).
ReplyDeleteI had the same idea and had proposed to LTA in Nov 2012 during a meeting at LTA on Public Transport. I later followed up with sending them a list of other suggestions on improving public transport.
ReplyDeleteThere were no response to the matters raised.
This sequential bus stop numbers would be really useful if implemented.
Perhaps you should always direct your suggestion to REACH which seems to be interested in public feedbacks.