Passenger numbers are up for such buses, which charge more but have fewer stops
By
Yeo Ghim Lay
PREMIUM bus services are moving into top gear with six more starting from Monday to bring the total on the road to 74.
Five services will link residents in outlying areas like Hougang and Choa Chu Kang to the Central Business District.
Ready to rol
SMRT will launch six new premium bus services next Monday which will each make a single trip on weekdays. Fares will range from $3.50 to $4.50. The new services are:
Service 586: From Bukit Panjang Ring Road to Jurong East Central at 7.45am.
The sixth will provide a quick travel alternative for Bukit Panjang residents working in Jurong East.
The six services, all run by SMRT, will see the Land Transport Authority exceed the earlier goal set out in the land transport review to have 72 such services up and running.
And at least another six services, already given the nod by the Public Transport Council (PTC), are on the way. They will be operated by SBS Transit and SMRT.
Premium services, which have limited stops and charge higher fares, offer commuters a guaranteed seat and a faster ride to the city during weekday peak hours for about $3 or more a trip.
They are an alternative for public transport commuters who do not want to travel on crowded trains and buses. They have also attracted some motorists eager to avoid high fuel charges and road tolls.
Transport operators said passenger numbers are steadily growing. The ComfortDelGro group, which operates more than half of all premium bus services, said average daily ridership has grown to almost 2,000 from 1,100 in January.
Ridership on SMRT's premium bus services has also grown by more than 10 per cent since more services were rolled out in April, said SMRT Buses' vice-president Kang Huey Ling.
Madam Goh Ming Lay, 42, is one commuter who plans to stick with her premium bus service. She takes SBS Transit's Service 557 from her Choa Chu Kang home to Anson Road, then walks to her office along Keppel Road. The journey takes her 30 to 40 minutes.
Previously, she would spend at least one hour and 15 minutes on a tedious journey: A feeder bus to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, a train to Jurong East, then another train to Outram Park, followed by a bus to Keppel Road.
For the comfort and convenience, she pays $3.60 compared with about $2.80 before.
Besides the two public transport giants, most private bus operators running premium bus services were also positive about ridership.
Mr Alex Lim, who runs a service from Upper Serangoon Road to Shenton Way, said his five 20-seater buses are almost full during the morning peak hour. He is now considering setting up services in areas like Punggol, especially when the second phase of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway opens, which will cut travelling time from the north-east to the city.
But not all private operators are as bullish. Mr Edmund Chua, who runs one premium service from Suntec City to Woodlands at night, has applied to the PTC to withdraw it as it has had only five to six passengers every month on average.
He has also withdrawn a morning service that he operated from Woodlands to Bendemeer. Neither service operated during peak hours because Electronic Road Pricing charges were too high, he said.
So far, eight services have been withdrawn this year.
