The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) has recommended that the public be mobilised to help when trains break down.
NTWU said that Singapore should “build a community of commuter volunteers – who can be trained as first responders to assist our frontline workers during service disruptions or emergencies”.
The recommendation comes on the back of the latest round of fare hikes last month, which will see public transport operators enjoying a S$78.2 million increase in fare revenue for 2019.
Of that amount, train revenue will rise by S$35 million, with private corporate entities SBS Transit seeing a S$10.9 million increase and SMRT seeing a S$24.1 million increase.
The LTA, which administers bus contracts, will take the remaining S$43.2 million.
Besides enlisting the public to help manage transport disruptions, NTWU also recommended that more full-day bus lanes and dedicated cycling lanes be rolled out to ease traffic congestion.
Those suggestions were among a dozen recommendations put forward by the union for Land Transport Master Plan 2040.
An advisory panel is now gathering feedback for the transport plan, which will shape Singapore’s land transport landscape for the coming decades.
It will submit its recommendations to the government in Feb.
