walking in the rain

You know, if there’s one thing that makes my blood boil over and over again each day, it would have to be taking public transport in Singapore.

Singapore’s public transport, in my opinion, is by far the most ridiculous and inefficient mode of travel I’ve ever come across. And the fact that it’s considered world-class is probably the biggest joke ever.

Okay, let’s put it this way. I think in Singapore, a 15 to 20 minute wait for a bus to arrive is simply unacceptable. Doesn’t SBS Transit or SMRT know how precious time is? This is Singapore, mind you. Don’t they know that if I had decided to take the car or a cab instead of waiting for the bus, I’d have reached my destination during that 15 to 20 minutes?

Has anyone tried waiting for SBS Transit’s service 175? An average wait would be about 30 minutes. I mean, so what if the ridership is low? Does that mean that people who take that bus service don’t deserve to be provided good service?

It doesn’t help with such weather like Singapore’s. It’s just so hot and humid all the time. And after enduring a long wait, a crowded single-decker bus comes along, and depending on the time of the day, you may not even get to board it because it’s completely full. If you do, you end up standing, and of course, squeezing with noisy, smelly people on-board for the rest of your journey.

Honestly, I have put up with ridiculous waiting times over the years. I must, however, thank the person who came up with the Bus Arrival system, because even though it’s not quite accurate half the time (especially for SMRT buses), it certainly shows the inefficiency of the 2 bus companies in Singapore, SBS Transit and SMRT.

I know some of you might tell me to quit complaining and try experiencing public transport somewhere else, like in the US, where it’s much worse. Well, guess what? It’s not a fair comparison, simply because in other countries, buses run at longer intervals because the country is much bigger.

In essence, this is nothing but poor service.

And in case you haven’t noticed, buses in Singapore are completely ugly. The interior of SBS Transit buses is awful purple and yellow, and the seats are as hard as rock. Also, most SBS Transit buses are now wheelchair-friendly, which is completely ridiculous because there are way fewer seats than before. And there are steps in single-decker buses, which is a really brilliant idea. One day, someone’s going to get hurt real bad when the bus captain does an emergency brake.

Air-conditioning in buses is horrible in both SBS Transit and SMRT buses. Some are leaky, the seats have a weird smell, windows are oily and the hand poles are slimy. No one gives a shit about cleaning the window panes once in a while, or wiping the dirt off the covers of the ceiling lights.

And this is just a rant about Singapore’s bus service. Don’t even get me started on the MRT, or our recent “Love Your Ride” campaign, where commuters are forced to listen to the “Train is Coming” jingle before boarding the train, and “Give Up Your Seat” jingle during the ride itself. Whoever came up with that is stupid beyond belief and has absolutely no shame. I’m sure foreigners must have had laughed their ass off after seeing such a stupid campaign like this.

So, I’ve had my say.

It’s not surprising that many Singaporeans are switching to cars, even though it’s ridiculously expensive to own a car in this country.

In the meantime, it’s interesting to see how so many Singaporeans can rely on the country’s inefficient public transport to actually get around. It really amazes me sometimes.