It is startling that nearly $2 million worth of taxpayers' money has been given to bus companies for meeting their basic obligation in ensuring the timely arrival of buses ("SBS Transit, SMRT rewarded with $1.34m and $504k respectively for improving bus waiting times: LTA"; ST Online, May 9).

How accurately does the improvement of 27 bus services reflect the overall improvement of service reliability ("Reliability of buses: 27 out of 34 services improve"; May 10)?

Could the authorities shed light on whether the amount awarded simply becomes revenue for the bus companies or if criteria were put in place to ensure it is used to further improve service reliability?

Bus delays are not as obvious as train delays but are equally disruptive for commuters.

Hence, financial resources should also be devoted to improving all bus services, such as by setting up a feedback channel for commuters to highlight services that still experience inconsistent arrival frequencies.

In this way, actual ground data can be used to ensure the real improvement of service reliability for buses.

Tan Khee Shian