Written by: Nicolette Mah and Tan Lu Pin

Published: 07 Oct 2011

Facts about Singapore Public Transport System

Travelling can be a hassle, especially when you do not own a car. However, with the help of public transport it has made travelling so much easier. Though Singapore is among the 20 smallest countries in the world, with a total land area of only 682.7 square kilometers which is 15,000 times smaller than USA but we have a total population of 5,183,700 (reference from Department of Statistic Singapore).

The public transport system in Singapore consists of:

1. MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system

• 130km
• 85 stations
• which plies the main stretches across the island

2. LRT (automated Light Rapid Transit) system

• 29km
• 43 stations
• acts a feeder to the MRT network

3. Public Buses/Premium Buses

• 4000 buses
• 330 routes
• which reaches out to almost every part of Singapore making it the most extensive form of transportation locally

4. Taxis

• 24,000 taxis
• provides a faster and more comfortable ride at a slightly higher price

Above statistics are extracted from Singapore Land Transport Authority.

Image courtesy from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

To add on, the public transport system are designed to meet the diverse needs by implementing barrier-free accessibility such as wheelchair accessible buses and installation of lifts and tactile guidance system in MRT stations

Singapore is considered one of the countries in asia with relatively good public transport system. Some of the most important attributes that affect the commuting experience are (reference from Land Transport Authority).:

• waiting time
• safety and security
• reliability
• customer service
• comfort
• travelling time and bus interchange/bus stop/MRT station accessibility

Based on the survey that we have conducted with 42 respondents, we have gathered information from them on the most important attribute that contributes towards a good commuting experience is the “waiting time“, while the same attribute is exactly the one they are least satisfied with. The survey is still open, feel free to participate in the study to give your opinions.

Our thoughts and observation

As frequent users of the public transport, we believe the very thing that affects the Singapore transport system and the whole commuting experience is the users themselves.

Some of the behaviors that people do to each other which left us feeling pretty much indifferent about the whole journey’s experience includes:

• boarding commuters try to get into the MRT by not giving way to alighting commuters
• pretending to be unaware that there is someone who needs the seat more than they do
• eating, smoking, disrupts the atmosphere with extremely loud music or exaggerating gestures

Images courtesy from What are you doing boo boo blog and stomp website.

All these add up to all the unpleasant journey experiences.

The transport authorities have tried its best to give constant positive reminders to its users with music videos, catchy songs, posters and signs for priority seats had enlarge throughout the years. Several music videos were then produced to promote gracious behavior on our buses and trains by iconic representatives of Singapore.

Listen to “Love Your Ride” Jingle:

Poster to remind users to be gracious:

But it have not been effective as people still behave in these manner and has shown no improvements. This video is an example on how people still reacted indifferently despite a gentle reminder through “Love Your Ride” jingle to give way for alighting passengers.

It seems like there isn’t proper or adequate interaction between commuters and that travelling is just a mean to get to somewhere, not something to be experienced or enjoyed on its own rights. Maybe our daily routine seemed to drain others’ soul, or at least our souls, because there is rarely any opportunities for exploring or discoveries of new experiences when commuting between points.

Information that seem to be very much structured with high level of predictability that could potentially further reduce the chances of any accidental discoveries such as:

• a new eatery
• new knowledge from posters that may contain insights or thought provoking advertisements
• new exits or routes to your destination
• new MRT stations or bus routes being commissioned
• new acquaintances

In conclusion, we find that commuting in Singapore nonchalant, as it seems like we are living our lives between points. During the time in between the two points, we could very well be cryogenically frozen. People do read, sleep, chat with their friends and use their electronic devices on the public transport, but somehow that moment doesn’t seem to be living, which we are unable to shake off the feeling that it isn’t living and can’t seem to articulate why it isn’t.

Images courtesy from Aeryn I Jayde’s blog

We have said our piece, what are yours? We would love to hear from you, feel free to share your thoughts and views!

If you are interested to improve Singapore transport system by redesigning the user experience, we have a “Design Studio” workshop on 18 Nov 2011 that allows us all to immerse and better understand, envision & design a meaningful solution for people.

Nicolette Mah & Tan Lu Pin

We are student interns in UX Consulting Pte Ltd from Republic Polytechnic (Singapore), graduating with the Diploma in Design for Interactivity. We come with great desire to better understand the interactions between humans.

About the author

Raven Chai - Raven Chai is the principal consultant and founder of UX Consulting Pte Ltd. His expertise in information architecture design, usability and interaction design ensures web applications and mobile phone interfaces are delivered with effective design that evokes a positive user experience.