Daily trips: Does it trickle madness?

Was at facebook, saw this flyer ad for Tagxe, a SG community helping people to find others living nearby to share cab to cut cost. Followed link to the site (www.tagxe.com), whose humorous comparsion chart inspired this...

Do take a look there after here. Oh yes, the team is non for profit.


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So, after spending considerable amount of time on travelling for the past 1.5 years to school, here some interesting or rather annoying observations...


Facts and Figures (Really-real time figures. Includes bus/train transfer timing)

Punggol to/fro SIM

Bus:
average : 1h 15m
fastest : 1h 5m
slowest : 1h 55m

Train:
average = fastest = slowest : 1h 25m

Car:
average: 45m
fastest: 40m
slowest: 1h20m


1) Despite some debates, the preferred mode of transport for me is still bus, over train. In my case the train takes longer during off peak and during peak i have to stand all the way for the entire 1.5hours. And cost more. And walk more. Simple b'cos my house is not next to the LRT station, let alone PG train station.

2) And for that high variation in bus timing, the weakest link is actually that bus 62, which is the only bus that move from Hougang to this part of Punggol. Waiting time can be as long as 25mins. All for a journey that last slightly more than 5mins.
My mum tried it once from somewhere in Sengkang, and swore to walk back ever since.

3) So if you add up all the worst cases' waiting-time together:

74 waiting : 15
62 waiting : 25
= 40 mins
= Time taken to drive home, all during the time when i'm not moving.

4) There's actually an express service 74e. But for a higher fee there's not much difference in timing simply b'cos....although it avoided all the jams on/after lornie rd, it plunge itself onto the long long long jam on PIE. And took a longer detour via thomson road.

5) Many guys experienced it right? The time you waited for the next bus is not neccessarily the amount of time you reach later. Sadly, that's the unavoidable fact about bus: traffic condition varies and affects it's timing.

For instance, once i took 74 at 7am, and i reach on 820am. Another day took at 6.50am, and reached at 7.50am.

Not forgetting buses overtaking each other. It can make you reach even later, or much earlier than those who boarded the earlier bus.

6) Which reminded me about what liwen told me before. When she was still going to SA back then, it's either that she arrived very early or late for school. Because by taking the one next train, she will see the connecting train leaving in her sight, and then misses again the connecting bus. .....Compared to mine, her case sounds worse.


7) So does this makes driving the king? No actually.
Despite the much faster overall timing (Morning 1h20m but at least on way home is off peak aka 40min) and the disapearance of waiting time, driving during morning peak hours is tough. Jams everywhere and everyone cuts their way through, demadning all time focus...while you are happily sleeping or munching into your breakfast on the bus.
And did i mention fuel is at all time high? Petrol now stands at $1.89 per litre, after discount. Compared to the $1.3/$1.4 of just couple of years back.


Conclusion? Seems like bikers have some edge here now. No jams, cheaper fuel, even cheaper parking (65c per day!) No wonder i know someone with ability to drive is taking moto test. Too bad i just dont have the guts, and not ever imagine my flu on the visor.

As a normal income kid, bus is still here to stay, no problems with that. Advantages are valid, and will hope for improvement in timing etc. And continue spot for the occasional special cars...or fall asleep.


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