Improve the public transport information

The government is spending $1.1 billion to improve the bus services. Most of the funds will be 

used to purchase buses and to subsidize the salaries of drivers.

I suggest that some of the funds be used to improve the information system and make it easy 

for commuters to use the bus services.

Commuters like to know the following:

• The bus service to take and the place to make a connection
•  Waiting time for the bus to arrive
•  Where to alight from the bus

The Land Transport Authority can make the bus arrival information available for developers 

to develop mobile apps that can provide the above information. Mobile tablets can be installed at all 

bus stops to provide bus arrival information at a modest budget and can be implemented quickly.

There are already existing apps that help commuters to get the best connections using the buses 

and trains. LTA can educate the public on the use of these apps.

Many commuters avoid the use of buses due to lack of awareness about the bus services 

to use.   If they have easy access to the information, more passengers may find the 

bus services to be more convenient.

The buses should also have an electronic display to show the stop number and name of the 

bus stop. This will make it easy for the passengers to alight at the right stop. This simple 

and useful  display is used in several cities, including London, Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

With more convenient connections, I am confident that many car drivers will opt to give up 

their cars and take public transport. I am personally one of the converts.

I hope that the Land Transport Authority will implement some of these suggestions quickly 

to improve the public transport system in Singapore.

Tan Kin Lian