Nov 03 2009
Pre-schoolers and public transport just don’t mix
I am familiar with bus and train rides since it was a staple form of transportation for me when I was in school and right up till a few years ago.
From hanging on the the doors of rickety bus number 72 as a teenager, to being jostled – while standing in front of a strapping young man who had miraculously fallen asleep at the sight of a pregnant woman - in the MRT while I was 6 months pregnant, I have experienced it all.
I have in the past three years acquired a car after resisting it for so long for the simple reason that travelling in the MRT/bus during peak hours with two pre-schoolers in tow was just not practical! We tried, yes we tried. Mommy, daddy, and two children under 6 make for a disaster in rush hour traffic.
Dirty looks? Check.
Sudden “blindness”? Check.
Pushing and shoving? Check.
And mind you, we take the train from Sembawang station. Never mind the fact that there was never any available seat, what constantly broke my heart was when my three-foot-high 3-year-old son got whacked in the face by other commuters’ bags. And they come from all directions, you just can’t protect your kids! And then, there is the whole saga of getting off the train. Between the people who were permanent fixtures by the door, and those who were rushing in despite the fact that you are trying to get out, every morning you thank your lucky stars that you manage to get out in one piece. I still have nightmares about my days on the MRT with my two kids!
Since acquiring our own little set of wheels, we have to contend with crazy traffic, but we don’t have to contend with rude and ungracious commuters. So pardon us if we prefer not to take the public transport.
If you ask me what would make me leave the car at home and venture into the realm of public transport again?
1. Shorter waiting time:
This is especially so for connecting buses. What irks me is when I get off the MRT in plenty of time to get to where I need to be, but because the connecting bus takes forever, you end up being late. And then you have about four of the same bus back-to-back. Where is the sense in that I ask you?
2. Better bus drivers or bus captains as they are now called:
In my many years as a bus commuter, I can safely say only about 15 percent of the time have I experienced really good bus captains. The rest of them make me wonder if they go through any form of training before they are let loose on the roads. From speeding to sudden stops, bus rides are not much fun.
3. Better inter-connectivity
I’m sure the brains behind the transport system have it all worked out, but given that we are a very small island, it still isn’t all that straightforward to get from one place to another. Case in point – try going from Sembawang to Hougang – the journey cannot be made without at least 2 bus changes and an MRT ride. Throw into that mix a pair of pre-schoolers – I’m sure you’d understand too if I decide to flag down the nearest cab if I didn’t have my own set of wheels.
So yeah, unless I am out for a leisurely outing, it will take a whole lot more improvements before I decide to take public transport in rush hour or any other time of the day for that matter.
Hafizah Osman is the editor of Family.sg and she blogs her parenting experience on mommyfizz.wordpress.com.
One response so far
What Hazifah wrote is the story of our lives. It is lucky that she can afford a car. Thousands others cannot.
A friend of mine takes bus-train-bus on her way to work and vice versa going home. All this, while standing with a handbag, document bag and laptop. So, it is queue-queue-queue and stand-stand-stand on the way to and from work. There are hundreds of thousands like her each day in Singapore.
Tokyo or Hong Kong may be worse. Why compare ourselves to them? Why not emulate some other more beautiful and gracious societies? Aim for a seat for everyone. Give respect to the commuters (they are our precious citizens, not sardines). What a beautiful country Singapore will then be. How happy will its citizens be! I pray our transport administrators see this point of view.
Narrow fixation on only the transport company’s dollar profitablity is shallow thinking. The bottom line is our overall national happiness and wellness. But this is not incompatible with our overall national dollar figures in the long run. Below is my view.
Other than the obvious wasting time and national productivity, our bad public transport system damages our overall national wellness in the following ways:
1. It creates high blood pressure (which I suffer from.) This adds to our public heath cost.
2. The pressure of travel makes us irritable and short tempered (even if we do not realise it outwardly). This creates social problems like divorce, family stress, rudeness, selfishness, and many other social ills. There is a national cost to this.
3. Stressful public transport is one reason (among others) leading to citizens immigrating. How many times have we heard that cars (i.e. transport) are so affordable in other countries? This is national brain drain.
4. How often have we said we have not enough time for family, friends, games, exercise, social work etc. If we spend less time on travel, more time can be spent usefully.
I am not saying all the above are caused just by bad public transport alone. But I am 100% sure bad public transport adds to it.
Singapore can be a very gracious, gentle, beautiful, healthy, productive and enjoyable home. A good public transport system is the ultimate foundation. Think about it.
Wishful