An Accidental Incident
All Rights Reserved 2010 Darren Chong
It was a fine but rather windy morning on 6 January 2009. As usual, I took SBS Bus 198 to my work place.
The bus came and it was very crowded as usual. I managed to squeeze my way up to the bus and stood near the bus entrance.
Being packed and super crowded, I just thinking to myself that if there 's an accident, I'll be the first to be hit since I am standing at the doorway.
At the bus stop at Jurong East Regional library, many passengers got off. I tried to move in towards the rear of the bus. The bus started to move off after the passengers alighted. The next moment, I saw a car cutting into the designated bus lane!
The bus swerved aside quickly! ‘Whew, what a close call!’ I thought to myself.
But I had rejoiced too early! As the bus turned sharply to avoid hitting the car, it inadvertently rammed head-on into sideboard of the car!
This incident presages the intricate relationship between passenger safety, service interval and fully packed busload of people. Days later, still reeling from the effects of the bus accident, I felt strongly the urge to voice out on safety aspects of the SBS bus services in Singapore.
Needless to say, after so many years since its inception in 1977, the bus service level is less than desirable. Over the years, it has modernized its fleet of buses, air-conditioned most of them and decked the buses with colourful advertisements, but the buses’ arrival time is deplorable.
Immediately the frequency of the buses come to mind as well. With prolonged interval times, passengers numbers waiting at the bus stops swelled by the minute. During peak and sometimes off-peak periods, the buses arrived with full busload of passengers every day! These passengers are exposed to extreme danger constantly! Imagine the consequences if, for some reason or other, the bus drivers were to brake suddenly!
What a way to travel in Singapore! It conjures up images of Ethiopia and India, where passengers clung tightly to exterior of buses to get to their destinations without regard to safety.
Such perpetual transportation woes, bus companies and their service levels formed an inexorable chain reaction in a country – and its progression into a developed one.
Perhaps it is time for the authorities, bus companies and the people to come together, catalyzing the transportation process, to reach the next effervescence stage.
Ultimately, the aim is for us, and our next generation to reach our destinations safe and sound, and in time.
It was a fine but rather windy morning on 6 January 2009. As usual, I took SBS Bus 198 to my work place.
The bus came and it was very crowded as usual. I managed to squeeze my way up to the bus and stood near the bus entrance.
Being packed and super crowded, I just thinking to myself that if there 's an accident, I'll be the first to be hit since I am standing at the doorway.
At the bus stop at Jurong East Regional library, many passengers got off. I tried to move in towards the rear of the bus. The bus started to move off after the passengers alighted. The next moment, I saw a car cutting into the designated bus lane!
The bus swerved aside quickly! ‘Whew, what a close call!’ I thought to myself.
But I had rejoiced too early! As the bus turned sharply to avoid hitting the car, it inadvertently rammed head-on into sideboard of the car!
This incident presages the intricate relationship between passenger safety, service interval and fully packed busload of people. Days later, still reeling from the effects of the bus accident, I felt strongly the urge to voice out on safety aspects of the SBS bus services in Singapore.
Needless to say, after so many years since its inception in 1977, the bus service level is less than desirable. Over the years, it has modernized its fleet of buses, air-conditioned most of them and decked the buses with colourful advertisements, but the buses’ arrival time is deplorable.
Immediately the frequency of the buses come to mind as well. With prolonged interval times, passengers numbers waiting at the bus stops swelled by the minute. During peak and sometimes off-peak periods, the buses arrived with full busload of passengers every day! These passengers are exposed to extreme danger constantly! Imagine the consequences if, for some reason or other, the bus drivers were to brake suddenly!
What a way to travel in Singapore! It conjures up images of Ethiopia and India, where passengers clung tightly to exterior of buses to get to their destinations without regard to safety.
Such perpetual transportation woes, bus companies and their service levels formed an inexorable chain reaction in a country – and its progression into a developed one.
Perhaps it is time for the authorities, bus companies and the people to come together, catalyzing the transportation process, to reach the next effervescence stage.
Ultimately, the aim is for us, and our next generation to reach our destinations safe and sound, and in time.
Comments