SINGAPORE — A bus breakdown and traffic congestion along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) and Choa Chu Kang Way affected the frequency of SMRT’s bus service 190 on Oct 4, causing overcrowding and long waiting times, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday.

The service, which plies a 22km route between New Bridge Road and Choa Chu Kang, and is popular with residents in the north-west, came under the spotlight after a video taken by a frustrated commuter, who claimed she was unable to board the service 13 times on Oct 4, went viral.

The LTA said it had investigated the incident, and found that SMRT operated six fewer scheduled bus trips that Friday evening, leading to a longer waiting time of up to 14 minutes and a build-up of commuters. Daily bus intervals were supposed to be about six minutes on average between 9pm and midnight.

Said the LTA: “SMRT should have responded better to the delays caused by the bus breakdown and traffic congestion, and take measures to maintain better service levels on service 190, which typically (sees) high demand in the city area (in) the evenings.”

According to the LTA, a new trunk bus service from Bukit Panjang to Orchard Road will start plying the roads in the middle of next month under the Government’s S$1.1-billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme.

“It will provide commuters with another travel option and ease crowding on service 190. Details of the new service are being finalised,” it added.

According to residents living in Choa Chu Kang, service 190 is more convenient than taking the LRT to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, before transferring at Jurong Station to the East-West Line to reach the Central Business District.

Said copywriter Raymond Tham, 28: “I prefer to take (service) 190 to work as it’s a more direct route (than) having to make multiple transfers on the MRT. While both are just as crowded in the mornings, sometimes, I am able to get a seat on the bus.”

The incident, however, has also called into question the viability of long bus routes, even as the LTA has been enhancing Singapore’s hub-and-spoke system over the years, with the train network as the bedrock.

Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport had mixed views on longer bus routes.

Said Mr Lim Biow Chuan: “I don’t really like long bus routes, because they are very susceptible to delays along the way … All you need is one small incident to have an impact. It’s very difficult to maintain headway.”

However, Mr Ang Hin Kee and Mr Gan Thiam Poh felt that long service routes provided convenience and gave commuters a variety of travel options.

To better enhance such services, Mr Ang suggested that these buses operate as a city-direct or express service during peak hours.

“During (such) hours, you don’t have to make too many stops, because it can get crowded. If (the bus) makes too many stops ... it doesn’t quite serve the people in the middle (part of the route),” he said.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said the Oct 4 incident would be incorporated into its next Quality of Service (QoS) report for the period of June to November, which will be released next April. “If the operator fails to meet any of the QoS standards, (it) will be given the opportunity to provide an explanation to the PTC. A penalty for non-compliance will be imposed if the explanation is not accepted,” it added.

Under the council’s quality standards for basic bus services, operators are assessed based on bus reliability, loading, safety, and service availability, integration and information.