Free car-sharing, beautiful trains: 70 in LTA focus group session discuss public transport

SINGAPORE - There were grouses about the lack of cycling paths, the unpredictability of bus arrivals and the recent removal of night buses, matched by praise for sheltered pathways and the readability of the MRT map.

Some wanted more shower facilities at transport nodes, or construction work at park connectors to be completed sooner. There was interest in a transport fund set aside for students to tap so that they can run trials of their proposals.

On Thursday, about 70 people from different walks of life spent their evening at the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) headquarters in Little India to share their views on Singapore's public transport system.

Over 1½ hours, they split into seven groups to exchange views, speaking under Chatham house rules, meaning that individuals could not be quoted for their views.

In different rooms, they talked with passion and knowledge about the shortcomings of the current transport system, and proposed ideas to LTA officers and Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat, who was there to listen in.

This was the third of four focus group discussions that LTA has organised as part of the Forward Singapore discussions that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the fourth-generation leadership kick-started in June.

The aim: to renew Singapore's social compact and set out a road map for the next decade. The previous two focus group discussions on transport, according to the Transport Ministry, surfaced three main concerns: the convenience, efficiency and sustainability of Singapore's public transport system.

The most interesting ideas on Thursday likewise revolved around these issues. One participant wanted three-door buses to open two doors for boarding instead of one to minimise queue time.

Another said there should be an app for motorists who are picking up their children or partners from different areas to offer empty seats in cars - for free - to those travelling in the same direction.

One idealistic man hoped for more beautiful MRT trains - more art, more colour and even more greenery inside them so that more commuters would look up from their phones, making travelling on public transport in Singapore a less functional experience.

In opening remarks, Mr Chee thanked participants for taking the time on a Thursday evening to attend the session and he said he welcomed their views.

But he also reminded them that they would have to be mindful of trade-offs the authorities would inevitably have to make while considering different ideas.

For example, he said, reclaiming footpaths for walking and cycling will impact vehicle lanes. As for public transport fares, there is a need to balance the books - cost of services increase by 7 per cent a year but public transport fares go up by only 1 per cent.

The previous two focus group discussions were held on Sept 15 and Sept 23, and were attended respectively by Transport Minister S. Iswaran and Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor.

Mr Iswaran, in a Facebook post after the Sept 15 discussion, said: "In working towards the future of our land transport system, we must have a common understanding of our roles and responsibilities while taking into account three key considerations - choice (trade-offs), climate and cost."