Of Public Buses and Air-Con
Forum letter, The Straits Times, published 27th Sep 2002
Over a short span of ten to twenty years, the public bus service has improved much in terms of passenger comfort. Super double-decked buses started to make their robust presence. These new breed of Mercedes Benz or Volvos are a long shot from the old sardine cans; they are sturdy, and cruises instead of rumbling and lurching. Self-service automatic ticketing machines were introduced that allow passengers to save on fares by punching a lower fare than is required (unless you happen to encounter a bus inspector along the journey). Now, devices are installed that record where you board and alight, deducting the appropriate fare from your card. Most significantly and a change that puts a hefty price tag on the environment is the introduction of air-conditioning on most if not all buses. You should consider yourself lucky if you board one without air-con. I do not dispute the comfort factor; bus rides are definitely cosier (and costlier). But had all buses still relied on wind blowing through windows to circulate air and keep the interior cool, you can imagine the huge amount of energy that could have been saved! Development, "progress" and higher living standards invariably exert greater burdens and impacts on the environment. Or can we achieve development through alternative means without compromising the environment? A more urgent switch to renewable energy resources and clean fuels such as hydrogen will be tremendously beneficial. I raised this point in a follow-up letter, unpublished, to The Straits Times. |
The image on right shows a Singapore Bus
Service ticket from bygone years when I was still a kid.
That was in the 1980s. Buses then felt like they were
nothing more than flimsy metal boxes on wheels. A bus
conductor would go around punching tickets and ensure
that all is in order, casting an ever-watchful eye on
restless kids. No public buses then had air-conditioning
and all were single-decked. Sometimes when rain comes
suddenly after a hot afternoon spell, windows had to be
closed, everyone onboard a saturated crowded bus would be
dripping wet not from rain but sweat. Worse still, if the
roof leaks, especially along the edges of shut air vents
and windows, the ride can be extremely unpleasant. A fart
is potentially lethal, eliciting dissenting shakes of the
head from adults and pleasurable guffaws from kids.