flexible public transport

Saw this very interesting clip that talks about the transit system in Los Angeles, how to increase ridership for public transport, etc. One point it brought up is how to have fixed bus stops but flexible bus routes.

I work in the Alexandra area and everyday I take a MRT ride to HarbourFront, then transferring to a short bus ride. If you happen to work in that area, I need not describe the crazy crowd at the VivoCity and HarbourFront bus stops. And the crazy rush whenever a bus arrives.

One day, a bus with the LED display saying "Off service" pulled into the stop. Everyone was looking at the bus with curiosity, thinking what was that bus doing at a busy bus stop. Then suddenly the LED display changed to a bus service number and everyone just rushed on. The bus was already full there. With an empty bus you could already fill it up at VivoCity bus stop, what more a bus that had gone through the whole stretch of the route before Vivo?

While there are many aspects of bus services that can be improved, sending empty buses to pick up passengers midway during peak hour is a good move.

(I recall during university days, the bus company did similar thing to "clear" the students at Bukit Timah Road bus stop)