THE SATISFACTION LEVEL OF BUKIT PANJANG AND CHOA CHU KANG RESIDENTS ON LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT

Abstract

Construction of a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system in any city is a major event. It has a major and permanent impact on the character and environment of the city and its people. The role of the LRT in Singapore is to increase the quality of public transportation and reduce congestion and excessive demands for construction of roads that can be destructive for cities. After the introduction of the LRT system, it is necessary to assess the satisfaction level of its users. This study examined the satisfaction level of the residents on the LRT in various aspects, using cross-tabulation and t test. Through the information gathered from the interviews conducted, the most dissatisfied aspects were the availability of seats during peak hours (3.0809), the amenities provided at the stations (3.1145) and the waiting time (3.1477). A clear understanding of the areas that require enhancement will allow the system to be improved and attract the current motorists to switch to the high quality and convenient public transportation. The study also assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the LRT as a replacement for feeder bus services, using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. The LRT proved to be efficient as it has managed to perform better in many aspects than the bus. Although the size of the trains has restricted its passengers' load, most respondents were still satisfied with the LRT as a replacement for the bus. This is because the LRT is able to provide a higher quality of travel. The significance value of its comfort is 0.008, which is much smaller than 0.05.