Originally posted by smrt_950:
Did u guys realise that at Woodands Int, when 962 buses are at the boarding berth taking in pax, [b]their exit doors will always be opened and then closed again almost immediately? This is especially true after the service has been VLS-ed. I do not see this occurence on other buses. So it leads me to conclude that this opening of exit doors is something gotta do with the VLS system? But why only 962?
And I'm getting irritated with the VLS on this service. When the buses already stop at the bus stops to alight pax, the VLS still have not updated the fare stage and still display the 'No Tapping" sign and thus, I juz have to get off the bus without tapping my ez-link. Wonder how the adult ez-link users are feeling. Luckily i use BCP. Have tried complaining to SMRT but situation is da same... 
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the doors of the buses have to be opened and closed at saw-tooth berths as drivers usually start their trips on their IDFC at the parking berth. however, by the time they travel to the saw-tooth berth, the odometer has run and the VLS systems thinks it is somewhere out of the interchange (STAGE 1.0) already when it is not.
the important point to note here is that everytime the doors of the bus are opened, the VLS will call the GPS module to refresh the location of the bus (and it will return that it is at the interchange) and VLS will reset the fare stage to 1.0. all SMRT SCs are notified about tis door-open-and-close command as tis was stated as a standard procedure in every circular to SMRTB SC's whenever there is a new VLS phase, ever since VLS started on 1st August 2004.
note that asking drivers to start a trip on the IDFC at the saw-tooth berth is not feasible as it takes a while for the IDFC as it has to do a lot of things before it can start a trip like confirm the correct driver logged in, the departure timing is correct, download other info updates like new "blacklisted cards" list. all these is done by communicating with the starter office at the interchange via WLAN.
also, an alternative to assign the parking berth a fare stage of 0.0 or 0.5 is not implemented.
regarding ur 2nd complaint, LTA has since modified the VLS system to enable the BEXPs 100m prior to reaching the bus stop. however, it is likely some buses (probably those mentioned on 962) have not yet to update their flashware and hence do not run these instructions. they will eventually update theirs when VLS is enabled for that service.
but you may be puzzled by why 962 buses have not updated their flashware since VLS was enabled on 29th August 2004. actually, i reckon tis is an oversight.
962 buses were chosen to pilot the VLS trial for SMRT. thus, it is likely they did not re-update their flashware and continued to use the older IDFC/VLS versions used during the trials, whose instructions were to enable the BEXPs only when the doors are opened. then, the only problematic issue i heard about is that the door sensors on bendies (which has 3 doors) require additional programming to work. but tat was in the early stages of the trial. i suppose with 962, SMRT is doing wat u call "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" since the VLS version they are using is still a working version.
however, the door-open-and-close thing will be part and parcel of a SC's daily job, and especially more so with bendies which seem to have more problems using VLS.
