It is heartening to note that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is moving to reduce demand for peak-hour travel and encourage flexible travel arrangements.

The heavy demands on the public transport system, especially the MRT, during peak hours, and the corresponding loss in man hours during breakdowns and delays can be ameliorated through better collaboration with employers.

Bosses should be encouraged and incentivised to stagger their companies' working hours to alleviate the overwhelming demand during peak-hour travel.

Workers will benefit, as they can travel with less stress, while train operators will enjoy demand that is more spread out through the day.

It is clear that reducing the duration between trains adds strain to the system.

In case of a terror attack, the more even distribution of human traffic could help to mitigate the impact, as there is less likely to be congestion.

In line with the constant reminder to embrace disruption, it is time for employers and employees to show that "office hours" need not be nine to five, as long as we put in at least eight hours of work.

Seah Yam Meng