Additional waiting time to be expected
In view of the exponentially rising wave of COVID-19 infection in the community, LTA and the four public transport operators are looking into measures to ensure the continued provision of essential services to commuters, beyond enhancing the Safe Management Measures to protect bus captains¹. As most of our bus captains are vaccinated, those infected are asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms. However, they will still need to observe the medical protocol to be isolated for a full recovery.
2 Our public transport operators and bus captains have been doing their utmost to maintain current service levels. This includes bus captains voluntarily coming back during their off-days. However, as these measures cannot fully make up for the loss in manpower, our bus operators have started lengthening headways for some services to ensure that our bus captains have enough rest time. Commuters are advised to factor in longer waiting times for buses when planning their journeys.
3 Given the dynamic situation, some bus services may see longer waiting times than others. At present, the increase in waiting times for the majority of affected bus services is within five minutes, with a very small number of services seeing increases in waiting times greater than ten minutes. Commuters can use LTA’s MyTransport.SG mobile app for more details on the arrival time of specific bus services.
4 To reduce the impact on commuters, LTA and the bus operators will also implement measures such as deploying more double-deck buses for services with higher loading when possible. This includes bus services that serve schools, as we expect increased ridership on these services when students return from their school holidays next week. LTA and the PTOs will monitor the situation closely and make further adjustments as the situation evolves, including when more bus captains return to work.
5 We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to commuters and seek commuters’ support and understanding as we make the adjustments.
