Singaporeans’ satisfaction with public transport dips to 5-year low: MOF

Reliability and overcrowding are primary concerns.

The number of commuters who are dissatisfied with public transport is on the rise. According to the Ministry of Finance’s Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Review released Thursday, Singaporeans’ satisfaction with public transport has dipped to its lowest in five years in 2013.

The report revealed that reliability and overcrowding of train services are the main concerns, as public satisfaction dropped to 88.5% last year from 93.8% in 2009.

Daily public transport usage continues to grow, with the share of people taking public transport during peak hours rising from 63% in 2012 to 64% in 2013.

Here’s more from the report:

To further improve the reliability of trains, the Government is working closely with public transport operators to replace the older parts of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) infrastructure like old rail sleepers.

Maintenance has also been stepped up. This is starting to bear fruit. Train withdrawals across all three MRT lines were reduced by 25% or more in 2013, compared with 2012. Delays were also less frequent--the number of train delays longer than five minutes fell by 20% in 2013 from 2012.

Satisfaction with bus services, on the other hand, turned the corner in 2013, registering its first improvement since 2010. We introduced the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) in 2012 to ease overcrowding on public buses. Some 360 government-owned buses have since been added to the system, resulting in improved service levels.