SINGAPORE, Sept 11 — The rising number of public bus drivers infected by Covid-19 has resulted in an increase of waiting times of within five minutes for the majority of affected bus services, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and four bus operators said yesterday (September 10). A “very small number” of services have seen increases of more than 10 minutes between buses, they added.
In a joint statement, LTA, Go-Ahead Singapore, SBS Transit, SMRT Buses and Tower Transit said that they are looking into measures such that essential services for commuters can continue. For example, bus drivers have been voluntarily returning to work on their days off.
“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,” the statement said.
That being the case, commuters are advised to factor in longer waiting times for buses when planning their journeys, the transport authority and bus operators said.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to commuters and seek commuters’ support and understanding as we make the adjustments.”
The statement did not mention which bus services were affected most by the Covid-19 situation and it did not say how many services are having frequency delays above 10 minutes, beyond saying it was a “very small number”.
Commuters are urged to use LTA’s MyTransport.SG mobile application for details on specific bus services.
TODAY has reached out to LTA for further comment. ― TODAY
