Different Transportation Means with Similar Timings

Posted by: Norazreen binti Abd Haris 

Comfortable Ride: Double-decker buses ply the route regularly for Service 166. This allows commuters to travel comfortably to their destination with the added space and seats. Photo credit: Norazreen binti Abd Haris

A Quick Glance At this Post

	Time	Fare	Advantage	Disadvantage
Service 166	30 mins	S$1.31	Smooth, quiet, cheaper and comfortable ride	Bus may not always be a double-decker (lesser seats available)
Train (East West Line & North East Line)	32 mins	S$2.00	Lesser chance of alighting at wrong stations	Crowded and noisy train, more costly

Train Is Not Always Faster Than The Bus

Who would have thought that taking the bus or train to get to your destination would take almost the same amount of time? Well, based on my experience, this can happen! Recently, I went to Harbourfront from Clementi and tested both means of transportation and guess what? The timing for my journey differed by only two minutes, with the bus being slightly faster!

Comfortable And Easy Bus Ride

From Clementi Bus Interchange, I boarded SBS Bus Service 166; a direct bus to Harbourfront MRT Station. As I expected, the bus was a double-decker. This meant that there were a lot of seats available and there was no need for me to squeeze my way into the bus. Not only that, the journey was also smooth. While there were quite a number of stops along the way, it did not really affect the journey time.

First Part of The Ride: You have to transfer to the North East Line at Outram Park in order to travel to Harbourfront via train. Photo credit: Norazreen binti Abd Haris 

Busy And Crowded Train

As for the train, the Clementi train station was rather crowded and busy even early on a Saturday morning. However, I still managed to get a seat while heading for Outram Park before transferring to the North East Line.  But, once I reached Outram Park, I had to walk quite a distance before reaching the train platform. Along the way, I had to squeeze through the crowd from the opposite direction who were also transferring train lines.  

The ride towards Harbourfront was not one that I enjoyed. The train was full and noisy throughout the journey. I was somewhat annoyed by the number of announcements repeated throughout the journey as it added to the noise level. Although Harbourfront was one stop away from Outram Park Station, the atmosphere was rather stressful for me due to the lack of seats and loud noises in the train.

Bus Ride Is The Way To Go

If you are the type who enjoys quiet surroundings and do not mind the risk of taking a slightly longer time to your destination; in case of a delay due to traffic congestion, I would suggest taking the bus. It is definitely more comfortable and hassle-free as it takes you straight to your destination without the need to transfer at all.