SBS Transit IRIS System

Have you noticed that when you take SBS Transit buses recently, there is a new blue computer in front of the bus captain's ticket issuing machine and there is a wired microphone at the side windscreen?

The purpose of this computer is to enable the bus captain to communicate with his HQ or bus interchange timekeepers when any of the following events occurs:-

1. Bus breakdown
2. The bus is running very late, due to a massive jam
3. The bus is running early due to very smooth traffic.
4. Events that the bus captains are not able to solve on the bus trips, like passenger disputes.

I had the opportunity to see the system at work yesterday and today.

The bus services which I took were all running very late due to a massive traffic jam caused by the Fireworks Festival. In these instances, the bus captains were asked to change the service plate to "off service", meaning they are not required to pick up passengers along the rest of the route.

This measure seems to be a good one, as it should help in solving the "bus bunching" (buses of the same service route coming together at the same time, and alleviate the problem of not having buses on the other direction when there is a massive jam.

However, it seems like the bus captains' health are not taken into consideration when this system was set up as I do have friends who are bus captains that have hypertension, cancer & high blood pressure. The list of illness goes on & on. This is due to the need to adhere to the schedule, irregular meal times , holding of bladder etc.

I am conducting a poll (just for the fun of it) to ask how you people out there feel about this new system. Please feel free to leave the comments in the comment box & cast your vote at the sidebar.