SINGAPORE's two public bus operators have been fined again for failing to meet service standards.
The Public Transport Council (PTC), wielding its new-found power, has ordered SBS Transit and SMRT Buses to pay $9,300 and $1,000 respectively for falling short in the number of trips operated, waiting time and crowdedness. The period of review stretched from last Dec 1 till May 31.
This is the second time the two operators have been penalised. In April, they were fined $300 and $200 respectively for similar service shortfalls during the June-to-November 2007 review period.
The PTC was given the power to impose financial penalties of up to $100,000 by the Government in 2006, and has barred the operators from passing on the cost of such penalties to commuters.
Currently, at least 80 per cent of bus services have to run at intervals of not more than 15 minutes during peak hours. By August, this will be cut to 10 minutes.
Buses also cannot be more than 95 per cent full during peak hours. Other standards pertain to service information, breakdowns and accidents.
In announcing the fines yesterday, the PTC noted, however, that both operators had generally met standards and had been buying more buses and hiring more drivers in recent months.
PTC chairman Gerard Ee said: 'The operators have assured us that they will work harder to improve their service standards. The financial penalties that the PTC imposed are a clear signal that the operators should strive for better results.'
Mr Ee added that the quality-of-service standards were 'demanding targets' to ensure that commuters were well served, especially now that ridership had risen.
Member of Parliament Cedric Foo, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said: 'The PTC has shown that it is prepared to use the powers conferred upon it to ensure that the prescribed service standards are maintained, even though the fines seem low.
'However, the public transport operators do carry a reputation risk in not meeting the standards and this could have an impact when the bus sector comes up for competitive bidding.'
The Government will liberalise the market from as early as 2010. Meanwhile, Mr Foo urged the PTC to 'address the root causes' of the operators' shortfalls.
Commuters had similar reactions. Bank executive Jon Yeo, 39, said although the fines were 'small change' to the two firms, it was important to send the message that regulators were taking action.
Nurse Angelene Kok, 26, said operators should deploy more buses, but added that service intervals could be affected by external factors, such as traffic jams.
Sales promoter Susan Yeo, 52, said bus services were generally acceptable, though the wait for Service 197 'is still about 20 minutes'.
SBS Transit spokesman Tammy Tan said: 'We are sorry and disappointed that we did not achieve full marks in all the categories under the PTC's latest Quality of Service Standards.'
She said the main reason was the 'acute shortage' of drivers, and that the company had stepped up its overseas recruitment drive; about 120 new drivers from China are to arrive in the coming months.
SMRT said buying 130 new buses, including 67 wheelchair accessible ones, was part of its drive to improve service.
The results of the PTC's next review are due in April.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 16, 2008.
Singapore's public transport operators were fined for not meeting service standards in a biannual Public Transport Council (PTC) review.
SBS Transit and SMRT Buses were penalised $9,300 and $1,000 respectively for a breach in quality of service standards. They include the scheduled number of trips operated per bus service, frequency of departure of bus services from bus interchanges and passenger loading. The review covered the six-month period from Dec 2007 to May 2008.
SBS Transit had 28 bus service routes that were non-compliant with the service standards while SMRT Buses had six bus service routes that were non-compliant.
However, the PTC also noted that "on the whole the operators have been able to achieve the required standards on most services." They have made efforts to improve their services, such as purchasing more buses and accelerating the recruitment and training of bus drivers.
PTC Chairman Mr Gerad Ee said," The operators have assured us that they will work harder to improve their service standards. The financial penalties that the PTC imposed are a clear signal that the operators should strive for better results.
Mr Ee added that the quality of service standards are "demanding targets" to ensure better service for commuters.
"With the recent increase in bus ridership, it has become even more challenging for operators to cope with commuters' expectations and to comply with the standards," he said.
Penalties range from $100 per day per bus service route to $10,000 per month per standard.
