SINGAPORE : Bus drivers may soon be empowered to change the routes they take when they encounter heavy traffic.
SBS Transit is moving towards that direction by implementing planned route diversions for its latest express, called Fast Forward service 174E.
To cope with the high passenger loads during rush hour, Boon Lay bus interchange now has a new Fast Forward bus service - 174 E.
The regular 174 service currently travels from Boon Lay to New Bridge Road via the city.
Fast Forward service 174E will ply the same route but makes about half the number of stops - 25 instead of 57 - and will terminate at North Bridge Road.
This is expected to cut travel time by 20 percent.
Vincent Loh, Director, SBS Transit, said, "174E will be running with five trips in the morning, as well as five in the evening; these are during the peak periods."
But that is not all.
On selected trips during the morning peak hours, the driver will avoid the usually congested Farrer Road, and instead turn into Sixth Avenue from Dunearn Road to get to the city.
In the evenings, the driver can similarly avoid the slow traffic on Dunearn Road, by getting onto the Pan Island Expressway from Farrer Road.
Mr Loh said, "The non-express flexible routing is currently scheduled, but eventually we hope to be able to do it live instead of pre-planned."
In response, one commuter said, "It's quite congested during the business hours...it's more efficient and I think faster in certain ways."
The first such fast forward service was 97E, which travels from Jurong East to Collyer Quay. - CNA