Beating the morning rush: Peak-hour crowding down 60% since BSEP, says LTA

450 BSEP buses are now on the road.

The Land Transport Authority yesterday revealed that peak-hour crowding has eased by 60% since the Bus Service Enhancement Programme was launched in September 2012, with 450 BSEP buses now on the road and an additional 100 expected to roll in by the end of the year.

The LTA, SBST, and SMRT stated that 144 out of 275 existing basic bus services have been improved and 31 new services have been rolled out.

“The overall bus network capacity during peak periods has been improved, with the number of bus services with peak period crowding having fallen from 96 prior to BSEP to 38 in July 2014, or by 60%. For example, SMRT Bus Service 962 has seen peak hour crowding reduced by about 15%. With less crowding, commuters now benefit from more comfortable rides,” noted the release.

Meanwhile, the additional buses also enable the bus services to operate at shorter intervals, and waiting times on popular services have been shortened by 3 to 7 minutes.

“SMRT Service 966, for example, which loops between Woodlands and Marine Parade, now runs at an improved frequency of 4 to 8 minutes during the morning peak and 6 to 13 minutes during the evening peak periods. The service previously ran at a frequency of 6 to 10 minutes during the morning peak, and 9 to 16 minutes during the evening peak,” stated the LTA.