The recent clusters linked to staff working at bus interchanges are starting to take their toll on operators.
With over a hundred bus captains getting infected with COVID-19 and many others quarantined after being identified as close contacts, some bus services were bound to be affected.
5 Bus Services Suspended Due to Manpower Shortage
Five bus services operated by Go-Ahead Singapore will be suspended temporarily due to a shortage in manpower, it announced on Facebook.
The suspension, which involves express and city direct services, will kick into effect tomorrow (15 Sep).
The five services suspended are:
- 12e
- 43e
- 518
- 661
- 666
According to the operator, the suspension was driven by the “impact of COVID-19 on available manpower.”
Trunk bus services 12 and 43 will continue to operate, however.
Commuters who will be affected by the temporary suspension are advised to use the MRT or take other bus services.
Explaining the decision, the Land Transport Authority said it approved the suspension as these bus services have a lower demand.
This way, bus captains can be redeployed to serve higher demand trunk and feeder services, it said.
LTA said it will continue to monitor the situation, along with public transport operators, and may make further adjustments if necessary, such as when more bus captains return to work.
Longer Waiting Times Expected for Certain Bus Services Due to Manpower Shortages
Just a couple of days ago, it was announced that commuters could experience longer waiting times for buses due to the manpower shortage.
Waiting times for the majority of services are expected to go up by five minutes, but for a small number of them, the delay could exceed 10 minutes.
Bus Interchange Clusters Continue to Grow
The good news is that all the bus captains who tested positive had mild or no symptoms. What’s more, many have since recovered from the disease.
However, most of the clusters linked to staff working in bus interchanges have continued to grow.
Yesterday, new cases were added to seven of eight active clusters, namely:
- Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff – two new cases, 212 in total
- Tampines Bus Interchange staff- three new cases, 73 in total
- Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff – seven new cases, 190 in total
- Bishan Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 39 in total
- Jurong East Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 48 in total
- Clementi Bus Interchange staff- two new cases, 61 in total
- Punggol Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 47 in total
To reduce the impact of these clusters on manpower, more double-deck buses will be deployed for services with more expected passengers.
Some bus drivers have also worked overtime, while others have even volunteered to work on their days off.
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Featured Image: Facebook (Go-Ahead Singapore)
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