Students say NTU buses still slow, but drivers now nicer

By Jasmine Koh

Students said campus bus drivers showed better service-oriented attitudes this semester, making trips more pleasant despite crowded buses. PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

The campus bus service has improved, with students reporting shorter waiting times and even friendlier drivers.

Last month, the Nanyang Chronicle reported that some students had to wait for about 40 minutes to catch a morning bus, due to long queues and crowded buses.

But students the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to recently said their journeys have now improved due to warmer service from drivers.

“Recently, drivers are more willing to wait for those who are running for the buses” said third-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Denny Tan, 23.

“It affects the quality of our bus experiences in a positive way. You won’t feel too stressed having missed the bus just before your eyes,” Tan also said.

Others, such as Tanner Tan, 22, a second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, said that drivers are more patient now and ensure passengers are safely seated before driving off.

Instead of shouting, they also use gentler tones than before when asking passengers to move to the rear of the bus.

“For students like us who are tired from studying all day, it makes a lot of difference. At the very least, when the bus captains don’t shout, they don’t cause stressful situations,” said Tan.

But others said that while drivers are politer, service standards can still improve.
Some brought up the issue of drivers alighting to use the toilet in the middle of the route without giving prior notice, which resulted in students stranded on buses for up to 15 minutes.

“It is unreasonable for drivers to stop the service without warning, because they have already been allocated toilet breaks,” said second-year School of Aerospace Engineering student Teo Hua Yi.

“They are causing unexpected delays and longer bus waiting times – they need to inform the students beforehand if they are stopping,” the 20-year-old added.

Others said bunching, or when multiple buses arrive at the same time, still occurs.
The University’s bus service provider, Tong Tar Transport (TTT), launched in August an orientation programme for bus captains on campus.

The programme resulted from the dialogue between the company and the NTU Graduate Student Council.

Drivers were taught about NTU landmarks through tours around the school. Talks were also organised to equip drivers with basic etiquette skills and to educate them of the importance of safety and sensitivity in school compounds.

In addition. the drivers were also given new service guidelines to follow, which include stopping for students who are running for the buses, ending their shifts only at the designated time and driving in tighter accordance with the bus timetable during peak periods.

A TTT spokesperson said that the company is also regulating the drivers’ shift timings to ensure higher bus frequencies.

Still, several students said that passengers should cooperate for a more positive commuting experience.

Said first-year School of Humanities and Social Sciences student Esther Poon: “Passengers can be more considerate and always make the effort to move in. As much as the system may be unsatisfactory, I believe that students being as considerate as bus drivers will also make a great difference.”

(Additional reporting by Wong Jing Hui)