SINGAPORE BUS SERVICE LIMITED (Prosecutions for smoky buses)

Encik Abdul Aziz Karim asked the Minister for Communications the number of prosecutions during the four months from November 1973 to February 1974 inclusive against the Singapore Bus Service (Private) Limited for using buses emitting smoke beyond the permissible limit on public roads; and the combined figures for the component companies of the Singapore Bus Service (Private) Limited for the corresponding periods during the five years before the amalgamation.

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I first mention that statistics on the number of cases of buses emitting excessive smoke are kept by the Traffic Police, of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and not the Registry of Vehicles. Unfortunately, as statistics for such cases prior to April 1970 (i.e., start of the three-year White Paper plan for the reorganisation of the Motor Transport Service of Singapore) were not kept separately, it would be necessary for the Traffic Police to manually run through their records of every case of all traffic offences to obtain the statistics prior to April 1970. I therefore regret I am not able to provide statistics for five years prior to amalgamation, as requested by the Member for Kallang at present.

However, from the statistics made available by the Traffic Police the number of SBS buses booked for smoky exhausts for the four months since it began operations in November last year, as compared to the number of buses of the three former bus companies booked for the same offence between April 1970 and October 1973, is as follows:- Number of Buses Booked: 3 Former Period Bus SBS (4th months) Companies November 1973 - February 1974 1,247 July 1973 - October 1973 1,500 March 1973 - June 1973 1,029 November 1972 - February 1973 585 July 1972 - October 1972 672 March 1972 - June 1972 1,119 November 1971 - February 1972 984 July 1971 - October 1971 853 March 1971 - June 1971 527 November 1970 - February 1971 454 July 1970 - October 1970 470 April 1970 - June 1970 961 (3 months only)

These are statistics of the number of buses booked, which include those cases where action is pending, those where composition has been offered but not yet accepted, those where composition has been offered and accepted, and those which have been prosecuted. I believe the Member wants the number of prosecutions. The Traffic Police are unable to give the figures of those cases which have been prosecuted only. However, SBS itself has on record that, from November last year to February this year, they were prosecuted on six occasions and paid out $54,465 in composition for smoky exhausts.

Encik Abdul Aziz: Sir, my question is on policy, and policy is normally the same over a period of time. Therefore, I wish to take the Minister back to memory lane, a little way back in time. With your permission, Sir, may I just quote a little from the Government White Paper (Cmd. 21 of 1970) to assist the Minister in his reply to my question.

`On 31st March, 1970, the Prime Minister launched an all-out Anti-pollution Campaign, which inter alia, aimed at eradication of the smoky exhausts of motor vehicles. As this drive will have many significant repercussions, including the jacking-up not only of standards of performance and maintenance of vehicles but a general overhaul of the public transport services now existing, this Anti-pollution drive can be regarded as being the starting point for the first ever comprehensive reorganisation of the motor transport service of Singapore.'

So I would like to know what has gone foul. The air has gone foul, I know. Bus service has also gone foul. When will the second campaign begin in earnest?

Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: The answer, Mr Speaker, Sir, is that the first campaign is still on.

Encik Abdul Aziz: But who could believe that the campaign is still on?

Mr Speaker: Encik Aziz, next question.