SG: Bedok Integrated Transport Hub officially opened

Since the Taxi Availability standards were implemented, there has been an increase in the number of taxis plying our roads, which means more are able to get taxis. Pre-revew, 82% of taxis are on our roads in 2012 during peak hours. Post-review, the figure has increased to 87%in the first 9 months of 2014. The increase means that there are over 1,400 extra taxis which are available to commuters during these hours. Also, more are plying at least 250km a day, if not, more. In fact, despite the more stringent regulations, taxi companies are performing better as well, with Comfort, CityCab and Premier consistently meeting the higher standards, and Premier and SMRT meeting several of the old guidelines.Pictures used for illustration purposes only.

The BSEP may have cost the government over 1 billion dollars, and its efficacy may have been questioned by the masses, but the irrefutible fact is that it is starting to prove effective in improving service. The programme, which isn't even fully rolled out to date, has helped to reduce the waiting times for commuters; average frequencies have been reduced by three to seven minutes on higher demand services. Crowded services have been improved too. The BSEP aims to add 1000 new buses by 2017, and half of them are already registered for revenue service. More Integrated Hubs will be added as well to cope with the increase in the number of buses, which should improve the entire travel experience for commuters. Pictures used for illustration purposes only.

Continental, a leading international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer and industry partner has opened a new extension building to expand its R&D capabilities in Singapore. With a total capital investment of S$29.7 million, the extension aims to meet the demand of growing engineering requirements in view of Continental’s worldwide business expansion and the growth of the automobile industry in Asia.  “We want to grow stronger in Asia and have increased our sales in Asia to approximately €6.4 billion in 2013. The Interior division is constantly striving to increase sales in Asia. The opening of our new, large-scale development site in Singapore is a clear sign of our commitment to local development and production in Asia. The extension of our R&D center in Singapore strongly supports Continental’s growth strategy in Asia,” highlighted Eelco Spoelder, Head of Business Unit Instrumentation & Driver HMI and Chairman of the Board of Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd.