BREAKDOWNS OF PUBLIC BUSES (Request for effective action)

Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Communications whether he is aware of the many breakdowns of public buses daily, and if he will consider taking effective steps in the matter such as requesting the Singapore Bus Services Limited to promptly tow away buses which have broken down on the roads so that traffic flow will not be hindered for long and to engage more mechanics and operate a two-shift system, or engage private motor workshops, to expedite repairs of the buses so that they may be put back into service quickly.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker, Sir, not only are we aware of the daily occurrence of public buses breaking down on the roads, but have viewed it with concern. Since Singapore Bus Services Ltd. (SBS) took over operation of the public bus service from the three former companies - Amalgamated Bus Co. (ABC), Associated Bus Service (ABS) and United Bus Co. (UBC) - on 1st November last year, it has been required to submit daily returns to the Ministry of Communications and the Bus Services Reorganisation Committee (BSRC) on the bus operations. Included in these returns are the number of breakdowns occurring daily. The returns show an average of 35 breakdowns daily over the four months from November 1973 to February 1974. The breakdown figures were counter-checked with daily reports from the Police for the months of November and December only. This represents 2.5 per cent of the daily average operational fleet of 1,400. It should be noted the buses operate for about 18 hours a day, often under congested traffic conditions and severely overloaded. This would strain even the best of equipment.

We are as concerned as the hon. Member for Sembawang that buses breaking down by the roads should be quickly removed and not allowed to obstruct traffic. Through efforts of the BSRC. SBS entered into an agreement with a private motor repairer to tow away and repair its buses which breakdown by the roadside in the city area. At the request of the BSRC, SBS also undertook to obtain other private motor repairers to assist in the repair of its buses which break down, including those breaking down by the roadside. Advertisements inviting such private motor repairers to undertake this work were published by SBS in the Press on 14th, 19th, and 20th February. It is expected that SBS would finalise the arrangements with those companies which respond, shortly. SBS is also finalising arrangements for installation of mobile VHF communication equipment in its repair vehicles with the control centre at its main workshop. This, when installed, would speed up the repair of roadside breakdowns.

In addition, under the Road Traffic (Removal of Vehicles) Rules, the Police are empowered to remove broken down vehicles on the roads which cause obstruction and to charge the owners for removal and storage fees. The present removal charge for a bus is $60 and the storage charge is $20 per day. The Registry of Vehicles and Traffic Police are reviewing this with a view to increasing the rates as a deterrent to roadside breakdowns and incentive to better maintenance. The Traffic Police are also arranging with suitable private contractors for towing away of buses broken down by the roadside which are too large to be towed away by their present contractor.

The key, Sir, to reducing the number of buses breaking down by the roadside is, however, to maintain the buses properly. SBS inherited most of its present bus fleet from the three former bus companies, and many of these buses, I am sorry to say, were very poorly maintained. More than 400 were out of repair and laid up when SBS began operations on 1st November last year. Through the efforts of the BSRC, an agreement was entered into by SBS with a private motor repairer to repair these 400 buses at an estimated cost of $1.2 million and to put them back on the road as soon as possible over the six months from November 1973 to April 1974. Unfortunately, owing to the poor state of maintenance, many of these buses are irreparable without replacement of major components. Up to 28th February last month, only 43 of the buses have been repaired and put back into operation. However, SBS now has, on order, 227 replacement engines, gearboxes and axles costing an estimated $2 million. It is also undertaking some of the repairs itself and is arranging with additional private repairers to assist in the work.

To ensure higher standards of maintenance of the buses in future, SBS is leasing a 17.6-acre site at Braddell Road for 15 years from the Housing and Development Board to put up a proper central depot and workshop. Plans for the workshop are now being drawn up by the architects commissioned by SBS with the assistance of consultants from certain major motor suppliers and repairers. SBS has also employed a qualified mechanical engineer to supervise its workshops operations. Arrangements have, in addition, been made for SBS to recruit more motor mechanics and to undertake a proper scheme for motor mechanic trainees in conjunction with the Registry of Vehicles, the Industrial Training Board and the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation.

All public buses are required to be inspected and certified fit by the Mechanical Inspection Unit of the Registry of Vehicles once every six months. These inspections have been intensified and proposals are being studied by the BSRC to ensure that buses appearing for inspection in future have properly documented and certified service record cards. Under the proposals, these cards would show the repair jobs and servicing carried out on the buses in the six months preceding each inspection. Buses which do not meet the standards of maintenance specified by the Registry of Vehicles would not be passed for use on the roads and the bus company would be penalised for operating buses which are not up to the standard of maintenance required. False certification of the service record cards would also be subject to penalty.

The hon. Member for Sembawang may be assured that every effort is being directed towards ensuring proper maintenance of our public buses with a view to avoiding roadside breakdowns and providing a maximum operational fleet.

Dr Ong Leong Boon (Kim Seng): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully sympathise with the Minister on the state of the bus service in Singapore. From the points which he has raised, I would like to ask him a few supplementary questions. Firstly, it would seem to me that the introduction of bus lanes on certain roads has created new problems. The right of way for smaller vehicles is one such problem. It is all right if we are in a mini-car alongside a big bus. Actually out of fear for our own safety, we give way to the bus. What happens if an army truck happens to be parked at the red light next to the bus? Who has the right of way to turn left?

The introduction of bus lanes also leads to a slowing down of traffic. All buses following behind a bus that stops at a bus stop will naturally have to stop. This will mean that the entire chain of buses have to stop, whether or not there are passengers getting off from the second, third or fourth bus. I am sure these problems have been thought over carefully by the Ministry, and the Minister will have good answers to them.

The second question concerns the efforts made by the Ministry of Communications to encourage more and more people to use public transport. I notice that there are no schedules of routes at bus stops to help commuters. I think it would be a good idea if the Ministry could ask SBS to publicise at all bus stops a schedule of all the buses that come that way, giving the routes and Service number of every bus. I am sure this can be done and should be done with haste.

Thirdly, I notice that the SBS has recently introduced some 40 to 50 jumbo buses. This jumbo bus can carry 90 passengers. I am told that at certain junctions cars following closely behind this jumbo bus have got to reverse in order to allow this jumbo bus to turn into a small lane. I am sure the Ministry can also ask the SBS to reschedule bus routes so that these jumbo buses will not cause any inconvenience to other commuters on the road.

Fourthly, the question of conductors, I am sure that the provision of just one conductor for a jumbo bus is going to create more problems for the commuters and also for the bus conductors. I am inclined to believe that unhealthy incidents between commuters and conductors may increasingly occur if we do not provide one more conductor to each jumbo bus. Let us say that we should have two conductors instead of one conductor in each jumbo bus. Can I have the answers?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Sir, I shall endeavour to answer the rather long-winded question with its many provisos. Firstly, on the question of the reserved bus lanes and the problems arising therefrom. Problems will always arise when we start on something new. There will be teething problems. Even the bus drivers and bus conductors realise for the first time now that they have the right of way when they are in the bus lanes. The answer to the question of right of way is very simple. When there is a reserved bus lane, the right of way is the privilege of the buses. Anyone getting into this lane will be booked, and he will have to exercise greater care. If a driver of a vehicle, be it an army truck, wishes to turn left, then if there is a bus lane on his left, he should first have to give the right of way to the bus. He should be more patient before turning left because he has to see that the passage is clear before making his turn. Otherwise he will get a ticket for the offence.

With regard to the question about the change of buses and so on and whether adequate steps have been taken to review the situation, I can assure the hon. Member, as well as members of the public, that this matter is constantly under review. If it is found that certain adjustments have to be made to improve the flow of traffic, we will do so. May I also assure the hon. Member that it is not just the Ministry of Communications and a few officials in the Registry of Vehicles who are involved in the drawing of lines on the road. We have a technical team of road engineers and planners from the Ministry of National Development. They are the ones who really plan the whole scheme and, of course, it did receive our criticism as well as that of the Traffic Police in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The whole scheme of reserved bus lanes was not just the work of one Ministry. I would say that at least three Ministries were involved.

The second question is about encouraging more commuters by providing certain facilities which the hon. Member considers should be the responsibility of the bus company. There is no doubt that the bus company should do much more than just print some bus guides. In fact, the company will have to make up for lost time by having more officers appointed so that they can communicate with the public, and the business of the BSRC is to ensure that the needs of commuters are looked after.

The other point raised by the Member is that at each of the main terminals there should be sufficient boards to indicate routes of the buses that leave the terminus, and so on. This takes a little bit of time to eventuate. I can assure him, however, that every effort will be made to get the SBS to provide a public bus service that is up to standard. But we have our difficulties, and the first is the objective to get 400 buses, which are now off the road, to be back on the road. Once the public get the buses to travel in, then we can think of other improvements to the service.

As to his last suggestion about having two conductors to one bus, may I say that it is our hope that ultimately there will be no conductors in the bus. But that is a long way yet. This is something which we would like to see -that ultimately each bus will be operated by only a driver and the commuters need only to drop their shillings for a ride, depending on distance, and there would not be any conductors at all. But I do not wish to agitate my good Friend, who is in charge of the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation, by causing a ripple amongst his midst. That is quite a distant dream.

Encik Abdul Aziz Karim (Kallang): Mr Speaker, Sir, as hon. Members know, about 400 to 500 physically broken-down buses have been sent to the grave. What I would like to know and very firmly ask is whether the bus service is going to improve in three months' time, or never at all? Or is the Hon. Minister for Communications still thinking of doctoring the SBS and "transplanting" engines and whatnots, rather than performing the last rites of the SBS and the funeral service?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Sir, I am sorry to hear that the hon. Member thinks that I am doctoring the SBS. Having seen the collapse of one bus company (the Singapore Traction Company) in December 1971, it is my last wish that the SBS will collapse. I think it is only fair that we should give the bus company some time to get on its feet, because it is only four months since the company started operations as a single organisation.

As I have stated, there are a number of deficiencies, including 400 buses not put on the road. To be fair, I must say that SBS has entered into a contract with a motor repairer to repair the 400 buses in six months' time, that is, by April 1974. We should therefore not judge it before then. If it is necessary for "surgical operations" to be done, perhaps I would be in a position to do it then, but not now.

Mr Ho See Beng (Bras Basah): Sir, there has been Some talk that public transport may be nationalised. I would like to have the views of the Minister on this talk about the nationalisation of the transport service.

Mr Speaker: Mr Minister, is it relevant to the main question?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Sir, this supplementary question looks like an extension of the many supplementary questions that have been raised. I believe it has been stated in this House sometime ago that the present Government has no intention to nationalise the public transport. If a Member puts in an Oral Question and then withdraws it, I am not in a position to answer it. And since he has not raised it, I would say that the position remains the same - there is no intention to nationalise public transport at this stage.

Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is aware that the buses are emitting a lot of smoke, and whether the Singapore Bus Services Company is being penalised for running such smoky buses. Every day we see buses emitting black smoke. What measures are being taken by the Government to remedy this situation?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: The question is very simple, Sir,It is a matter of either having a bus to carry passengers although the bus appears to have smoky exhausts, or to look after the smoky exhausts and thereby have less buses on the road. The answer is simple: let the buses run and look after the passengers first.