SINGAPORE - While passengers' satisfaction levels with public transport held steady in 2023 compared with the previous year, fewer were content with bus waiting times, according to an annual survey by the Public Transport Council (PTC).

Some 93 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with public transport in Singapore, similar to the close to 93 per cent figure in 2022. But this is still much lower than the 99.4 per cent in 2019.

There was a 4 percentage point drop in bus passengers' satisfaction with waiting times, from 80 per cent in 2022 to 76 per cent in 2023.

Noting the decline, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that manpower challenges have impacted the ability of public transport operators to tackle operational emergencies, such as traffic delays, bad weather or staffing shortages due to medical leave.

It added that the public transport operators have been increasing their local recruitment efforts to attract more bus captains, but there are still vacancies and meeting full staffing requirements remains a challenge in the tight labour market.

The authority said the existing pool of bus captains is working hard to meet new needs, by doing additional trips to improve the frequency of existing services based on passenger demand and being redeployed to bus services serving newer estates.

The online survey - conducted annually since 2006, with 2023's edition being carried out from Aug 14 to Sept 24, 2023 - polled 5,037 users aged 15 years and above to better understand passengers' needs and identify areas for improvement.

Respondents of the survey scanned QR codes at transportation nodes and the SimplyGo app to participate.

They were asked to rate their satisfaction levels of bus and train services in eight categories on a scale of 1 (least satisfied) to 10 (most satisfied).

Any score above 6 was counted as "satisfied".

These categories were waiting time; reliability; service information; bus interchange, bus stop and MRT station accessibility; comfort; travel time; customer service; and safety and security.

As a whole, the percentage of satisfied bus passengers remained consistent at 92 per cent in 2023, similar to the nearly 92 per cent in 2022.

The proportion of satisfied train users rose marginally to 95 per cent in 2023, up from about 94 per cent in 2022.

Overall, waiting time was a concern for both train and bus passengers.

Only 83 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction, clocking a mean score of 7.4 in 2023, down from 85 per cent with a mean score of 7.5 in 2022.

Bus waiting times played a big role in this.

Besides the fall of 4 percentage points in the proportion of bus passengers satisfied with waiting times in 2023, the mean score dropped to 6.8 in 2023, from 7.1 in 2022.

Some passengers told The Straits Times that long waiting times for buses lowered their satisfaction with public transport.

Environment officer Zul Yahaya, 65, said he normally needs to wait longer than 13 minutes - the scheduled wait time shown on the screens at the bus interchange - for service 855 to arrive at Yishun Interchange.

Another point of frustration for Mr Yahaya is the discrepancy between the waiting time on the bus interchange's display screens and the actual waiting time, which is usually four to five minutes longer.

Others, such as mechanical and electrical project team member Ravi Samy, 65, said the duration of bus waiting time depends on the location of the bus stop.

He added that a "busy area" like Orchard will typically see delays in bus arrivals - longer than the waiting times indicated on mobile transit apps - compared with less busy locations, such as HarbourFront Bus Interchange, where buses arrive frequently and on time.

LTA said it will work with public transport operators and the National Transport Workers' Union to address manpower challenges and improve bus waiting times.

Trains fared slightly better in terms of passengers' satisfaction with waiting times - there was a smaller drop in the percentage of satisfied users to 91 per cent in 2023, down from 92 per cent in 2022.

The mean score in 2023 remained at 8, the same as in 2022.

Another bugbear for public transport users was customer service, with only 89 per cent of passengers expressing satisfaction, with a mean score of 7.9, compared with 91 per cent and a mean score of 8 in 2022.

On the other hand, more passengers were satisfied with the overall reliability of public transport, provision of service information and travel time, as well as safety and security, compared with 2022.

For buses, while fewer users were satisfied with waiting times and customer service, more were pleased with travel time, service information, and safety and security in 2023.

For trains, fewer passengers were content with waiting times and customer service, but more were satisfied with reliability and safety and security. The satisfaction levels for the other train categories remained the same across 2022 and 2023.

In a similar poll of passengers with disabilities and their caregivers, they were less satisfied than able-bodied users with public transport services.

Some 94 per cent of these passengers were satisfied with public transport in 2023, a drop from 95 per cent in 2022.

The poll, conducted from Aug 14 to Oct 6, 2023, featured a smaller sample of 180 passengers with disabilities and 220 caregivers. PTC started surveying people with disabilities in 2021.

Across the board, fewer respondents for this survey were satisfied with bus and train services in 2023 than in 2022.

Their mean satisfaction score for bus services slid from 7.7 in 2022 to 7.4 in 2023, while the mean score for trains edged up from 7.6 in 2022 to 7.7 in 2023.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.