Commuter satisfaction with public transport continues to improve

Improvements observed across all service attributes for both bus and MRT

Commuters’ satisfaction with public transport continued to improve in 2016, according to the latest Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey (PTCSS). Satisfaction levels1 reached 96.4% in 2016, up from 91.8% in 2015. In terms of mean satisfaction score, respondents gave public transport 7.6 out of 10, an improvement from 7.2 in 2015. There was improvement in commuter satisfaction across all service attributes for both bus and MRT services.

2 In line with its new role since 2016 to advise the Minister for Transport on public transport matters, the Public Transport Council has taken over the administration of this annual survey from the Land Transport Authority.

Key Findings

Bus Services

3 Satisfaction with bus services was at 96.7% in 2016, up from 90.7% a year ago. The mean satisfaction score also rose, registering 7.6 in 2016, up from 7.2 in 2015. Improved satisfaction in 2016 was largely driven by higher ratings in areas such as customer service, service information and reliability

4 The improved results are likely attributable to several factors, including the transition to the Bus Contracting Model which has injected greater competition among the bus operators and hence motivated them to improve their services, and the adoption of performance standards for regularity of bus arrivals. Improvements felt by commuters can also be attributed to service excellence initiatives put in place by the operators to give recognition to frontline staff who go the extra mile for commuters.

MRT Services

5 Satisfaction with MRT services also registered improvement, rising to 96.0% in 2016, up from 93.2% a year ago. The mean satisfaction score also rose, reaching 7.6 in 2016, up from 7.3 in 2015. The improved satisfaction with MRT services was largely driven by improvements in the areas of comfort, travel time and waiting time. Satisfaction with rail reliability has also improved

6 In particular, the addition of new trains to the North East and Circle Lines in 2016 had eased crowding and improved wait times and journey times. The opening of the Downtown Line 2 in December 2015 has enhanced the convenience of public transport travel for more commuters. Rail reliability has improved due to LTA and the operators’ continued efforts in strengthening maintenance processes and increasing manpower, as well as asset renewals on our oldest North-South and East-West Lines. As a result, the mean distance travelled between delays of more than five minutes across the network increased by 30%, from 133,000 train-km in 2015 to 174,000 train-km in 2016. While the number of service delays of more than 30 minutes increased by one incident in 2016, measures to improve incident management and minimise the inconvenience to commuters, such as clearer communication of information on bus bridging services and alternative routes of travel, may have mitigated a little of the impact of these major disruptions on satisfaction levels. 

Annex A: Factsheet for PTCSS 2016

For enquiries, please contact:
Kaz Quek
Senior Manager, Communications & Public Engagement
Public Transport Council
Email: kaz_quek@ptc.gov.sg
Tel: 6354 9037
Hp: 9731 2345

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