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Ping Yi Secondary School students distributing fliers to commuters at the bus stop next to their school to raise awareness about the new peak period short service 222P. The service will run during the morning and evening peak periods on weekdays.
New shuttle service brings relief to Chai Chee
BY ROYSTON SIM, Straits Times 30 April 2014
COMMUTERS living at Chai Chee estate will get some relief during peak periods, after a new feeder route that complements an existing one was launched yesterday.
Service 222P will run during the morning and evening peak periods on weekdays, to ease the crush and cut waiting times for those using 222.
The “peak period short service” will ply a truncated route from Bedok MRT station through Chai Chee estate before heading back via New Upper Changi Road.
This will provide residents with more buses to get to the MRT, and also benefit students from Ping Yi Secondary.
Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said residents have highlighted the overcrowding and long waits for service 222 for some time.
“For some of them it has been quite frustrating, and this has been for a couple of years,” said Mr Tan, who is the area’s MP.
Kembangan-Chai Chee Citizens Consultative Committee chairman Teo Cheng Swee said residents have waited 20 to 30 minutes for the bus, and at times have been unable to board the first bus that arrives.
Longer waits typically occur when buses bunch – this means two buses plying the same route arrive at the same time, resulting in a longer wait for the next bus.
Mr Tan said he is glad that service 222P will add more buses to ease the load and improve frequency.
ComfortDelGro Bus will operate 11 trips from 5.45am to 7.45am, and another 11 trips between 4.45pm and 6.45pm. It won a $1 million contract to run this service for two years.
Madam Charlotte Lee, who chairs the Ping Yi Garden Residents’ Committee, hopes the evening service can be extended. “By the time people who get off work at 6pm reach Bedok, it’s almost 7pm,” she said.
Service 222P is the third privately run feeder route to launch this month, after service 912P in Woodlands and service 240P in Boon Lay. Service 268P in Ang Mo Kio will launch on May 6.
Another five peak period short services will be rolled out in Choa Chu Kang, Pasir Ris and Tampines later this quarter.
These routes are part of the Government’s $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme.
