Cross-border bus passengers bemoan increased queue cutting, some put feet up on seats

Cross-border commuters disgruntled at queue cutting at Queen Street Bus Terminal & checkpoints

A cross-border bus commuter has noticed that more and more people were cutting the queue at Queen Street Bus Terminal during rush hour. Furthermore, people even started putting their feet up on the seats.

One commuter said she was forced to wait in line for half an hour because of the queue cutting.

Queue-cutting at Queen Street Bus Terminal, some put feet on seats

A bus commuter, who has travelled between Singapore and Malaysia every day for the past 14 years, told 8world News that she has seen more people cutting the queue at Queen Street Bus Terminal.

Ms Lim, 48, said there were queue-cutting incidents “almost every day” in the past two weeks. She observed that friends would queue up before other people known to them joined in.

Ms Chen (transliterated from Chinese), another cross-border commuter, also observed that it is common to see people cutting in line for buses every morning at the Johor Bahru (JB) checkpoint on the Second Link.

“People are cutting in line on every bus,” she said.

“Of course I’m not happy. I have to wait in line for 30 minutes before I get on the bus!”

People putting their feet up on seats

What makes Ms Lim even more upset is that she has seen some passengers resting their feet between the bus seats.

She said: “I can understand their feet are tired after working all day, but they should also think about other people. They might have athlete’s foot!”

She added that she had approached the other party before to tell them not to cut the queue or put their feet between the seats, but they apparently not only refused to listen, but also scolded her.

“They look like cross-border workers who have just arrived in Singapore to work, and need to be educated (on etiquette).”

She is also worried that commuters might end up in disputes and even fights if the phenomenon becomes more and more common.

Ms Lim hopes that the relevant authorities can send people to supervise and deal with the issue.

Companies urge commuters to be considerate

In response to 8world News, an SBS Transit spokesperson said the company would like to take the opportunity to encourage and remind passengers to be considerate and polite when using public transport.

“This includes queuing in an orderly manner while waiting to board the bus, not putting your feet on or between seats for hygiene reasons, and avoiding causing discomfort and inconvenience to other passengers,” they said.

They added that considerate behaviour will bring everyone a pleasant commuting experience.

When asked, Handal Indah Group of Companies deputy executive director Lin Zhenfang (transliterated from Mandarin) said everyone wants to get home quickly, so queue control has always been a challenge, but the bus employees are not law enforcement officers.

Although they have tried their best to control the queues, conflicts and disputes often occur.

“The company will explore adding more staff to control the queue and provide feedback to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for assistance,” they said.

As for the Second Link between Malaysia and Singapore, the company will explore adding new queue areas and continue to explore solutions to reduce queue jumping. At the same time, it also hopes that passengers will cooperate to help maintain order and reduce conflicts between staff and passengers.

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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and 8world News.