how to write a 'politically correct' letter of reply...

New buses designed to be more 'elderly-friendly'

I REFER to the letter, 'Poor design of new buses makes things worse' (ST, May 19), by Mr Hong Bao Kun.

Since we rolled out our new wheelchair-accessible buses in June last year, we have received much feedback on the interior and exterior design of the bus. The large majority of these are compliments. (not SBS transit's fault..)

In cases where commuters are unhappy with the design, as is the case with Mr Hong, we will take their comments into consideration when acquiring our next batch of buses. (and that will be?? 2015??)

Let me explain the rationale behind some of the design changes. To cater to an ageing society, we have designed buses to be more 'elderly-friendly'. Hence, all new buses are 'zero-stepped'. This makes for easier boarding. (i tot 'zero stepped' was to make the buses more disable- friendly also??)

The trouble with zero-step buses is that the engines cannot be housed in the front portion of the bus, as is usually the case. The engine cavity is thus located at the rear, thus the need for a raised floorboard. (again not SBS transit's fault)

Knowing that the elderly will have problems getting to the back, we have earmarked more 'elderly seats' in the front of the bus. Unfortunately, many younger and more able-bodied passengers tend to take up these seats and do not offer them voluntarily to the elderly when they board. (yah yah yah.. we get the picture now.. still not SBS transit's fault...)

We would like to encourage the less elderly to give up their seats in the front of the bus should older passengers come on board. (point noted.. and which i believe many ppl are doing)

For safety reasons, the raised floorboard/step, which is 205mm high - and within the Land Transport Authority's guideline of 230mm - is marked with bright yellow strips on the edges. (within LTA's guideline => never violate rules and regulations => no fault) To further enhance passenger safety, we are increasing the width of the yellow strip. (at last some action is being taken)

Concerning the two pairs of seats facing the row of seats in the rear, this is a design constraint as this is where the wheel arch is located. Although these seats cannot be front-facing, we have noticed that they are popular with students, families and groups of friends travelling together. (oh really please provide some stats to prove..)

With regard to the width of the aisle and the ceiling height, these are comparable to those in our other bus models. (so the point of arguement here is: if we introduce something new, it's either better than the old one or at the very least.. remains the same)

We will continue to seek the views of passengers when we order new buses as we are committed to serving our customers better.

Tammy Tan (Ms)
Director Corporate Communications SBS Transit

i'll leave you to form your own opinions