Case Study: SingaporeInnovative Bus Services and Marketing Initiatives to

Promote Public Transport

Terence NgService Development Manager

SBS Transit Ltd

22 Apr 2008

2

Presentation Outline• Evolution of Bus Network

• Service Delivery Model

• Bus Network Innovations

• Marketing Initiatives

Evolution of Bus Network

4

SBS Transit Bus Coverage (2004)

Singapore• Land area of 704 km2

SBS Transit• 2,700 buses• 189 routes• 2.07 million rides daily• 620,000 operated km or 14 times round the globe daily• 7 bus parks, 16 bus interchanges, 16 terminals, • Over 3,500 bus stops

Central Area

New Towns in Singapore

ANG MO KIO

BISHAN

TOA PAYOH

PASIR RIS

TAMPINES

BEDOK

SENGKANG

PUNGGOL

JURONG WESTJURONG EAST

CLEMENTI

BUKIT BATOK

CHOA CHU KANG

BUKIT PANJANG

WOODLANDS

SEMBAWANG

YISHUN

JURONGINDUSTRIAL

ESTATE

CENTRALBUSINESSDISTRICT

(CBD)

SERANGOON

HOUGANG

QUEENSTOWN

6

It works, but not for everyone…

• MRT connects almost all New Towns

Feeder

Feeder

Feeder

Trunk

Trunk

Trunk

MRT

TownCentre

New Town

• Trunk services connect to different destinations

• Feeder/Trunk services connect to the Town Centre

• Rising affluence and expectations – more direct and fast links wanted

7

Declining Mode Share on Bus

Source: Land Transport Authority – Singapore Land Transport Statistics 2005

8

But Buses Can Be Faster…

Source: Land Transport Authority – Singapore Land Transport Statistics 2005

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But Buses Can Be Faster…

Source: Singapore Department of Statistics - General Household Survey 2005, Release 2: Transport http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/ghsr2/chap1.pdf

Service Delivery Model

11

Unprecedented Initiatives Needed

• A sustainable service delivery model with unprecedented initiatives was needed to: -– Make bus journeys faster and more reliable– Reach out to customers who still prefer buses– Encourage use of public transport– Provide more choice for commuters– Use limited resources creatively

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Innovation Objectives• Bus Network Innovations

– Market Segmentation– Faster and more direct links – Differentiated fares

• Marketing Initiatives– Enhance bus connectivity– Add value and fun to public transport travel

Bus Network Innovations

14

• Distinctive branding and differentiated fares

• Peak Period Services– For working crowd with faster travel at greater comfort– Examples:

• Off-Peak Services– For discretionary trips – Make better use of off-peak resources– Examples:

Niche Services for Different Market Segments

15

Fast Forward Services• Follows trunk services, but skip stops for faster

journeys during peak hours

• Savings of up to 20% of journey time

• “e” suffix to service number

• Flexible non-stop sectors

• 9 services to date

BOON LAYINTERCHANGE

NEW BRIDGE RDTERMINAL

SERVICE 174

SERVICE 174e

Boon Lay AveBt Batok Central

Dunearn Rd / Bt Timah Rd

Farrer Rd

Napier Rd

Orchard Rd

North Bridge Rd /Hill St

Chin Swee Rd

Jln Jurong Kechil

Flexible Non-Stop Sectors

Fast Forward Services

Fast Forward Services

174e

97e 10e

74e

14e

30e

89e

196e

151e

CENTRALBUSINESSDISTRICT

(CBD)

18

• Single trip from heartlands to CBD during morning peak

• Seating only• Double deck buses deployed

to provide more seats• Optimises buses operating at

the fringe of the morning peak• 26 services to date

Premium Services

Premium Services

534

535

539538

536

537 542

543

540

533

532

548

549557

556

555

569

550

SHENTON WAY

552

553

554

585

559558

545

544

20

• Links heartlands and Chinatown via expressways

• Dragon icon, Chinese characters and auspicious service numbers

• Off-peak/weekend operations

• 3 services to date

• Uses off-peak resources

Chinatown Direct

CT18 – BEDOK

CT8 – ANG MO KIO

CT28 – CLEMENTI

CHINATOWN

Chinatown Direct

Parks Services

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• Links scenic nature parks to nearest transport hub

• Butterfly and leaf icon

• Weekend and public holiday operations

• 2 services to date

• Uses off-peak resources

Parks Services

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• Links Singapore Indoor Stadium and National Stadium to heartlands via expressways

• Dynamic operating hours for specific concerts and major events

• 4 services to date

• Uses off-peak resources

Stadium Direct

Stadium Direct

BEDOK

TAMPINES

ANG MO KIO

BOON LAY

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• Links heartlands to the Orchard Road/Suntec City shopping belt via expressways

• Off-peak and weekend operations

• Seating only• 8 services to date• Uses off-peak resources

CityShopper Services

CityShopper Services

551

577

579

580

581

576

575

578

ORCHARD RD / SUNTEC CITY

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Revamp of Express Services• Whole-day service since 1997

to tie in with road pricing on expressways

• Revamped in 2005 to have:– Separate route variants

during peak hours– Flexible routing along non-

stop sectors

• 3 services to date

Revamp of Express Services

PIONEER RD NORTH

SUNTEC CITY / MARINA CENTRE

Service 502 (Off-Peak / Weekend)

Service 502AService 502B

Dashed lines denote non-stop sectors

JURONG WESTAVE 1

(Peak Hours)

Revamp of Express Services

518

506

502

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• Started in 2000 linking night spots in CBD to heartlands

• Friday, Saturday and eve of public holiday operation from 12am to 4am

• Revamped in 2006 to have: -– Common city route – Non-stop sectors for faster

journeys via expressways– Renumbered for easy recognition

• 8 services to date• Uses off-peak resources

Revamp of Nite Owl Services

Nite Owl Services(Before Revamp)

174

162

181

89

16

65

Nite Owl Services(After Revamp)

5N

8N

4N

2N

1N

7N3N

6N

Common City Route

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63 New and Improved Niche Services since 2005

All by making better use of existing resources

Peak• 9 Fast Forward • 26 Premium • 3 Revamped ExpressOff Peak• 3 Chinatown Direct• 2 Parks • 4 Stadium Direct • 8 City Shopper • 8 Revamped Nite Owl

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Evolution of Bus Network

255189Total

639Niche Services

192180Trunk & Feeder

20082004

Marketing Initiatives

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• Automatic Vehicle Management System (AVMS) using GPS

• Better service reliability

• Faster response to incidents

• More even headway and loading

• Real-time bus arrival information available to customers

Better Service ReliabilityAutomatic Vehicle Management System

38

Buses

irisIntelligent

Route Information

System

Operation Control Centers(OCCs)GSM/GPRS

GPS Satellites

Better Service ReliabilityAutomatic Vehicle Management System

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Intelligent Route Information System

• iris (intelligent Route Information System)– on mobile phones/web– at interchanges/terminals– at bus stops– for every commuter

Real-Time Bus Arrival Information

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• Most important information available at a glance– Latest News– Marketing Promotions– iRIS Next Bus and Journey Planner– Bus Timetables– Tip of the Month– FAQ

Reaching Out to Our CommutersEnhanced Website

41

Ride and Redeem Programme

• Uses Ez-link card to collect “Transit Dollars” for online bidding and redemption

• Prizes redeemed through e-vouchers • Add value and fun to

travel experience

The “Frequent Flyer” Programme for Public Transport

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Ride and Redeem Registration

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Ride and Redeem Redemption

90,000 participants to date!!

44

Win Free Movie TicketsAdding Value To Customers’ Travel Experience

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Adding Value To Customers’ Travel ExperienceWin A Holiday and Home Appliances

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Tap-In-Tap-Out Promotion

• Educate concession users to entry and exit process correctly

onboard our buses

• Add value and fun in educating concession users the right way to use their Ez-link cards

Enhanced “Ride and Redeem” for Concession Users

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The “Amazing Race” on Public TransportBuzz My Day

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Other Promotions

• More than 60 promotions since 2005

• Schemes are self-funding where prizes are sponsored

– Merchant tie-ups– Festival / holiday

events– Service launches

– Lucky draws – Product giveaways– Online auctions– Promotional

campaigns

Encouraging use of Public Transport

Results and Reactions

Customer Satisfaction

Source: Public Transport Council, 2005/2006 Bus Passenger Satisfaction SurveyLand Transport Authority, 2007 Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

7.5

Accessibility ServiceInformation

Comfort Travel Time

Bus Service Attributes

Satisfaction Score

(out of 10)

200520062007

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Press Coverage

- ST 4 Jan 05

- ST 5 Dec 05

“New Services for Senior Citizens make it more convenient to go to Chinatown”

- LHZB 17 Jan 05

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Press Coverage

- ST 17 Dec 07- ST 16 Jul 07

- ST 16 Jul 07

- ST 9 Sep 07

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Land Transport Excellence Awards

Ridership on SBS Transit Buses2.28

2.10

2.072.05

2.09

2.19

2.00

2.10

2.20

2.30

AverageDailyRides

(million)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

2005Bus Network Innovationsand Marketing Initiatives

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“The days when people took what you gave them are over.

We want to add value and fun in travelling to satisfy our customers,

and not just offer run-of-the-mill services.”

Mr Vincent Loh Vice President, Service Development

SBS Transit Ltd (Straits Times 5 Dec 05)