What a difference 15 minutes can make by SMRT?

One of the regular issue of population increase due to importing was the overcrowding of public transport. The one that hit most is SMRT.

To counter such overcrowding issue, SMRT had to act to manage such issue and one of those was to put up a friendly notice  on the platform title "What a Difference 15 minutes can make".



The notice was a collection of crowd situation in various timing during the peak period of weekday where everyone should be on the way to school and work. The poster served as a helpful in information listing the traffic condition of the SMRT system.

The chart started at 7am and the peak period indicated would be 745am to 8am. These timing matches the start of school at 730am and most working timing 830am. Due to the distance travel, 30mins is a safe bet.

The poster further suggest if you are not in a hurry, travel off-peak for a smoother journey.

Now here are facts why these timing are crowded

1. A school start at 730am and most office hour begins at 830am. 

Suggestion of taking later hour like after 9am would mean the students or the working personnel would have to be late. So does that mean these suggestion should be accepted by schools and companies? Many students and even working adults already took the initiative to wake up early to beat the crowd as early as 7am but still that does not improve the situation.


2. For Non peak hours is the waiting time longer?
If one would take the lesser crowd timing such as 9am and above, would the regularly of the train be the same? Chances are it will not. As during peak hour the fequency of train increased (these was what SMRT claimed), then in off peak hour the train will be not so regular which mean longer waiting hour. So if you are late for work and there you are waiting for the training which will be longer waiting time. That conclude that you would reach work or school much later than expected.

This poster only make sense for those would want to travel else where (not to school or work) to choose those timing. Common sense would suggest anyone who is not rushing to wake up later and take their time to avoid the crowd...

SMRT would have to do something more constructive than these.



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