SBS and SMRT rewarded for improving service reliability

SINGAPORE bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation have earned S$816,000 and S$384,000 respectively under the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) Bus Service Reliability Framework (BSRF), the two companies and the LTA said in a joint press release on Friday.

SBS Transit's larger amount reflects improvements to 12 services, versus SMRT's five.

Introduced in February 2014, the BSRF rewards operators if they improve service reliability and penalises them if there is deterioration in reliability. The incentives help offset the costs incurred by the operators to support the BSRF, such as the hiring of more service controllers.

The three bodies also said that close to 70 per cent of Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) improvements have been rolled out, with commuters experiencing better connectivity, less crowded buses and more regular bus arrivals.

The BSEP was started in September 2012 and aims to introduce 1,000 government-funded buses by 2017. It will expand the public bus fleet by about 35 per cent, and also includes the introduction of 80 new routes.

Said the joint statement: "The second assessment period of the BSRF trial (December 2014 to May 2015) has shown that commuters on average have benefitted from more regular wait times and less crowding, as there is less prolonged waits, and passenger loads are spread more evenly across bus trips. Seventeen out of 22 services reduced their Excess Wait Times.

"The BSRF trial has been expanded by 12 services in June 2015, with 11 more services joining the trial in December 2015. This brings the total number of services under the trial to 45."

Another two City Direct Services will be implemented in Q4 this year, benefiting residents of Tampines, Simei, Marsiling and Woodlands. Seven new routes will also be introduced to enhance connectivity in areas such as Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East, Jurong West, Marine Parade, Punggol, Sembawang, Tampines and Yishun.

"Details of these new routes are currently being worked out and will be shared closer to their implementation dates," said the LTA, SBS, and SMRT.