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Synopsis :

In this press conference, the Senior Executive Vice President and the Director of Systems Analysis from Wilbur Smith and Associates, an American firm working for the Singapore government give their assessment of a report by the Hansen Team on building a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in Singapore. (The  Hansen Team led by Kenneth Hansen had been engaged to review previous MRT studies. In their report, they recommended an all-bus system with feeder routes and motorcar restraint instead of building an MRT). The consultants from Wilbur Smith and Associates give reasons why they do not agree with the recommendations of the Hansen Team. They argue that by 1992, a bus-rail system will yield benefits of a higher order to Singapore than an all-bus system. This, in spite of the higher financial commitment. They disagree with the Hansen team on some assumptions and details. The Hansen Team had given too little consideration to the operating speed of buses, the inconvenience of transfers, higher fares of bus services and congestion costs. They suggested that their all-bus system would improve travel times tremendously and take fewer buses to operate. However the team from Wilbur Smith and Associates does not see how this can be achieved when at present, buses don't run very fast, there are crowds at bus stops and barely enough buses for the people. Travel times with a bus system cannot be as fast as a rail system. They see serious operational problems in having an all-bus system. Even if a bus-rail system is introduced, 75% of all transport users will still use buses. Hence, they recommend alternative modes of transportation instead of an all-bus system.