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Hello welcome to my site. Some disclaimers first: Everything written down here are just my pea's worth of opinion. You are not to take anything I mentioned against me. And I do not need your validation to live, for the record. :)

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Icon: LJ/sixthmile
Layout: tuesdaynight
Inspiration: DayBefore!Misery
Written on: Sunday, August 05, 2007
Time: 8:57 PM

Here's a letter from a typical Singaporean to the Straits Times Forum:

Make bus rides more comfortable

I LAUD the Public Transport Council (PTC) for coming up with an even more stringent set of bus service standards.

Efficient bus services will cut down travelling time and add to economic value.

At the same time, the PTC should look into the comfort of the commuter. Often, I find that the airconditioning is either too cold or ineffective, leaving one perspiring through a long journey.

The vents, too, are difficult to adjust or broken and not repaired. The rectangular vents, in particular, don't seem to serve any purpose.

I have also been on a number of buses which struggle along or which smell of engine oil.

The MobileTV screens should be removed. They serve only one or two persons standing nearest to them. The view of the rest of the passengers is blocked by those in front of the set or the sound is drowned out by the noise of the engine.

The seat after the rear door is so far from the horizontal safety bar that it is a danger to the occupier. Should the driver apply the brakes suddenly, this passenger will be thrown forward and injured badly.

Some seats are positioned so close to one another that the passenger has insufficient knee room and has to travel in a cramped position.

The windows should be redesigned. The sills should be broad enough and low enough for passengers to rest their elbows comfortably. The vertical columns on the windows should be repositioned such that they are just behind each seat. Presently they often prevent a commuter from resting his elbow on the sill.

A perpetual grouse has been advertisements covering the windows, obstructing the view of passengers. Advertisements should cover only the bus body and not the windows.

Murali Sharma

Here's my reply:

Dear Mr Sharma,

Efficient bus services will use up more petrol. There is no economic value to talk about. Instead, we will be harming the environment more.

The bus air-conditioning is using thermostat. Blame the external temperatures if you must.

Push the louver button to the left (for the left vent) or right (for the right vent) to open the "rectangular" vent.

If memory serves me right, they are called TVMobile. And Mediacorp is in charge of them. Write to Mediacorp TV instead, not Publishing.

The super wide legroom is so that not only the 1 or 2 people can watch it in front. Should the driver apply the brakes suddenly and you slip down, blame your inertia. Oops...

Apparently you have a problem no matter how much legroom you get. We should implement all-standees buses. Just like Japan's trains during peak periods.

The "sills" are meant to hold the window in place, not for you to use it as an armrest. Window "sills" are never meant to double up as armrests.

The advertisements act as a sunshade and help to offset your "expensive" bus fares. If bus companies remove advertisements, fares may be raised by 20 cents each time instead of a maximum of 2 cents.

Let us strive to make our World-Class transport system a better one! :D