Panel mooted to promote caring transport culture

Efforts to promote a caring commuter culture will get a national push. The Public Transport Council (PTC) has recommended a new committee to make the public transport system a more caring, welcoming and inclusive one.

The council started the Caring SG Commuters Movement in 2017 to promote the growth of a caring commuting culture. While it has partnered other groups on specific initiatives, such projects are generally done on a localised basis.

In a report on the movement published yesterday, the PTC said that while its work has made a difference on various fronts, it is just a small step forward and more can be done at an integrated level. Said PTC chairman Richard Magnus, "It is imperative that the seed that has been planted continues to receive the support needed to ensure sustainability of the Caring SG Commuters movement... We recommend setting up a coordinating committee to facilitate and pull together inter-agency efforts to foster the movement within our transport network."

He said the proposed committee will help Singapore make a more decisive push towards one of its goals in the Land Transport Master Plan 2040, which is to have a land transport system that is more inclusive and supported by a gracious and caring commuting culture. Getting there requires a sense of shared responsibility among all stakeholders and a culture change, he said.

The PTC added that the committee, which it will lead, could include representatives from public agencies, companies and welfare organisations, among others. The committee will oversee the conceptualisation, implementation and publicity of various initiatives to support the Caring SG Commuters movement.

In another announcement, the PTC said it has worked with the Singapore Kindness Movement to jointly launch a Caring Commuter award category for this year's National Kindness Award - Transport Gold event, to be held in October. The award will recognise commuters' acts of care, such as helping those in need.

The council has submitted its report, which also details the work done in promoting a caring commuter culture in the past two years, to Mr Khaw Boon Wan, the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport. In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Khaw said the report comprised 'several good recommendations'. The Transport Ministry said he has accepted the recommendations.

IT Programme Executive Chong Kwek Bin, 38, who is visually impaired, said he hoped beneficiaries would have the chance to share their inputs in this committee. He noted that the culture of caring has been improving, with more members of the public spontaneously stepping forward to help on public transport without being asked. "Having said that, there are still some areas where awareness can be improved, such as how to offer assistance to the visually impaired," he added.