I took the busway in Jakarta. It was an interesting experience - quite different from what I thought it would be.
The busway run on a dedicated lane on the road. The other lanes used by private cars are congested and slow. The bus run quite fast on the busway.
The passenger pays the fare before entering the station, similar to the MRT system in Singapore. A fixed fare of 3,500 rupiah (SGD 0.70) applies for each trip, regardless of distance.
You can change to another bus at an interchange station.
The buses are crowded, similar to the MRT trains in Singapore.
The busway is a low cost way of implementing rapid transit. It uses bus instead of trains.
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Bangkok too has dedicated lane(s) for public buses. On every street, traffic flow is two way for buses. This makes it easy for foreigners to commute on buses. A foreigner can travel to and fro on the same road even if the road is one way only for cars. I noticed this when I was in Bangkok in 1995. Obviously, this must have been a practice already for many years before my visit. It's strange that such a low cost good feature is not available in technologically advanced Singapore. If you have to use public buses travelling one way along Geylang Road and return via Sims Avenue or travelling along Bencoolen Street and return via Selegie Road, you will understand that there are long distances to walk and wasted time. Foreigners often have to ask for directions. Our public transport can be greatly improved without great expenditures. All we need is more common sense and a willingness to learn from our neighbouring countries. Please lower social costs incurred by the commuting public. PS : Also, hospitals please stop proudly telling patients that they have to wait up to two hours even when they have an appointment on an appointed time. Time wasted by the public is social costs too.
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in improving the public transport system in Singapore and have been active providing feedback to the transport companies and government transport agency/ministry all these years. Nothing much has improved in terms of service level and quality. Why not form a special interest group/committee looking into this and driving what we believe in for the good of Singapore?
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