Let me take you back to the good old Singapore of the 60's. Back then, we had a very good bus system.
We had the Keppel Bus Co, Easy Bus Co, Hock Lee Bus Co operating in the Pasir Panjang areas. The Green Bus Co operating from Rochore to faraway Jurong kampongs, Tay Koh Yat Co operating from Bartley Road to Gu Chia Chwee (Chinatown), Paya Lebar Bus Co operating from the then famed "Hippie" Garden Geylang to Jalan Kayu and Yio Chu Kang Road ends, Ponggol Bus Co from Upper Sgoon to Ponggol End, Katong Bedok Bus Co from Joo Chiat to Telok Paku, Changi and the Singapore Traction Company on routes within the heart of Singapore to Finlayson Green and Tg Pagar.
It was all doing so well and served their traditional routes and areas of operations very effectively, for the original operators of routes did not want to slacken as "others would come into their turf".
Going to various places within Singapore was then a pleasant experience with opportunities to take multi-coloured buses and collecting different types of tickets. Prices were also low and easily affordable. School children were given preferential treatment. Poor kids were commuted free as the conductor made the decision and no one, not even the Ticket Inspectors, dared challenge his decision. Off course some of the conductors were foul-mouthed but at the end of the day they did a good job. In case of breakdowns, the conductors will wait for another of their company bus to come and usher all the stranded passengers inside. Just look at the contingency plans of those days. The conductors then used their initiative and were "operationally-attuned" and "empowered"
Sometime in 1973, the then humble Registry of Vehicles (a government body later to become a filthy rich and fierce LTA) decided to merge these colourful bus companies into 3 entities known as the Amalgamated Bus Company Limited (ABC), the Associated Bus Services (Private) Limited (ABS)and the United Bus Limited (UBS). The government-sanctioned merger was undertaken to improve service standards of the bus transport system, which formed the backbone of public transport then.
The new-born "baby" was listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore in 1978 and "christened" as Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited (SBS).
In December 1997 it became part of NTUC and was called Delgro Corporation Limited and in 2001 it became Singapore Transit Limited.
I remember a "National Service" provided by these private bus operators. It occured during the 1964 and 1969 riots, when curfews were declared in all areas of Singapore as a result of communal problems. School children found themselves in a dilemma as they were unable to go home. Along came these buses all over Singapore and managed to bring the stranded kids and passengers to their various depots from where Police Black Marias (police buses) took them home. Did the SBS and Tibs provided such a service during the recent MRT breakdowns? There seems to be no contingency planning and alternative course of action plans. Everything was a total choas. Mind you this is 2011 way ahead of the humble 60's.
I feel that we should allow such players into the markets once again. It will lift a huge burden off the shoulders of the operators and government as when problems like the recent SMRT fiasco rears its ugly head once again, the government will not have to answer to the people. On the contrary, they will hold the operators responsible just like they do to the taxi-opeartors today.
This will introduce fair competition and also encourage the setting up of more SMCs here. Certainly monopolies like the present system has failed miserably in Singapore.
Finally, it would be wise for the government of the day to "listen" to the people on the ground as they are the travelling public and not always "swagger" around as if they (the government) knows best what medicine to give. What happened today is indeed bitter medicine.
We had the Keppel Bus Co, Easy Bus Co, Hock Lee Bus Co operating in the Pasir Panjang areas. The Green Bus Co operating from Rochore to faraway Jurong kampongs, Tay Koh Yat Co operating from Bartley Road to Gu Chia Chwee (Chinatown), Paya Lebar Bus Co operating from the then famed "Hippie" Garden Geylang to Jalan Kayu and Yio Chu Kang Road ends, Ponggol Bus Co from Upper Sgoon to Ponggol End, Katong Bedok Bus Co from Joo Chiat to Telok Paku, Changi and the Singapore Traction Company on routes within the heart of Singapore to Finlayson Green and Tg Pagar.
It was all doing so well and served their traditional routes and areas of operations very effectively, for the original operators of routes did not want to slacken as "others would come into their turf".
Going to various places within Singapore was then a pleasant experience with opportunities to take multi-coloured buses and collecting different types of tickets. Prices were also low and easily affordable. School children were given preferential treatment. Poor kids were commuted free as the conductor made the decision and no one, not even the Ticket Inspectors, dared challenge his decision. Off course some of the conductors were foul-mouthed but at the end of the day they did a good job. In case of breakdowns, the conductors will wait for another of their company bus to come and usher all the stranded passengers inside. Just look at the contingency plans of those days. The conductors then used their initiative and were "operationally-attuned" and "empowered"
Sometime in 1973, the then humble Registry of Vehicles (a government body later to become a filthy rich and fierce LTA) decided to merge these colourful bus companies into 3 entities known as the Amalgamated Bus Company Limited (ABC), the Associated Bus Services (Private) Limited (ABS)and the United Bus Limited (UBS). The government-sanctioned merger was undertaken to improve service standards of the bus transport system, which formed the backbone of public transport then.
The new-born "baby" was listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore in 1978 and "christened" as Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited (SBS).
In December 1997 it became part of NTUC and was called Delgro Corporation Limited and in 2001 it became Singapore Transit Limited.
I remember a "National Service" provided by these private bus operators. It occured during the 1964 and 1969 riots, when curfews were declared in all areas of Singapore as a result of communal problems. School children found themselves in a dilemma as they were unable to go home. Along came these buses all over Singapore and managed to bring the stranded kids and passengers to their various depots from where Police Black Marias (police buses) took them home. Did the SBS and Tibs provided such a service during the recent MRT breakdowns? There seems to be no contingency planning and alternative course of action plans. Everything was a total choas. Mind you this is 2011 way ahead of the humble 60's.
I feel that we should allow such players into the markets once again. It will lift a huge burden off the shoulders of the operators and government as when problems like the recent SMRT fiasco rears its ugly head once again, the government will not have to answer to the people. On the contrary, they will hold the operators responsible just like they do to the taxi-opeartors today.
This will introduce fair competition and also encourage the setting up of more SMCs here. Certainly monopolies like the present system has failed miserably in Singapore.
Finally, it would be wise for the government of the day to "listen" to the people on the ground as they are the travelling public and not always "swagger" around as if they (the government) knows best what medicine to give. What happened today is indeed bitter medicine.
