Reserved Seating
We hear horror stories of fights on public transport on
the right to a seat. After all it was paid for. The fact is this: no one can
force anyone, needy or not, to give up their seat, even the ‘Reserve Seats’. With
that thought, are we as a nation socially developed enough to automatically
give up our seats to those in need of them.
In 17 years, its population is projected to increase to
6.9 million. According to the Singapore department of statistics, we now have a
population density of over 7500 inside a square kilometre.
In that, more than 50% use public transport. That
translates to over 7 million passenger trips daily. In human terms, this means
being in extreme proximity with strangers for sometimes over an hour, often
standing with the seats taken up. If you are very lucky, you get a seat.
With the population living longer, you will get more
senior citizens. With the population increasing, you will see more children on
the trains, and there will be more pregnant women, disabled, injured or unwell
taking the public transport.
In July 2008, the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT)
introduced ‘Priority Seats’ to remind passengers to be gracious and give up the
said seats to people in need. Eleven months later, SMRT changed the ‘Priority
Seats’ to ‘Reserved Seats’ in a bid to make the “voluntary” relinquishing of
the seats more authoritative and forceful.
The bottom line is this: No one can force any fit, strong
or able-bodied person sitting on the reserved seats to give it up. There is no
law to enforce it. In the future, if not now, the ‘Reserved Seats’ will not be
enough to accommodate those in need during peak time.
What we have in place is a transitional measure to ensure
that those in need to have a fighting chance to get a seat.
So begs the question: should we drop the concept of
‘Reserved Seats’ and grant our Singapore public the independence to make the
socially responsible choice?
Mrs. Marian De Souza, 46, an early education teacher, now
based in New Zealand, shares her thoughts.
“I don’t think the idea will work. The Singapore culture
of ‘me, myself and I’ are too deeply embedded in the country’s psyche, right
from early childhood to the golden years. There is no time or space for the
milk of human kindness to flow from one person to the next. Even if you wanted
to, you see so many people, even army personnel faking sleep or just closing
their eyes to avoid seeing anyone. In New Zealand people generally give up
their seats. A lot of this has got to do with the inculcation of the value of
human respect in the school teaching system right from early childhood. Also,
it’s a lot to do with the space and time people have to behave and act
humanely.”
Chandran Chinniah, 56, a professional sports coach,
echoes similar sentiments.
“With decades of emphasis on paper chase, productivity,
economic priority and self-centredness, the very idea of being socially
responsible has been given a back-seat or a miss in most societies and
present-day culture. As one that uses public transport everyday at odd hours,
indeed ‘Reserved Seats’ should be clearly indicated in buses, trains and in
other public places where possible.”
Ng Yoke Meng, a 14-year old student thinks otherwise.
“I think it’s our duty to get off the ‘Reserve Seats’ or
any seat if we see anyone who seems to need it more. These people are basically
pregnant women, senior citizens, disabled and anyone who seems to have trouble
standing up in the moving train or bus. It’s more about their safety and being
aware of the challenging world they live in. One day we will be like that. I
think every seat should be regarded as the reserve seat once they come aboard.”
In the world of public transport, reserved seats are a
common concept. Austria had it since the 70’s. Germany has priority seating arrangements,
as Japan and the U.S. India is on the verge of adding more reserved seats for
women. All these measures are put in place to protect the needs of the
disadvantaged and those in need. Communications in the way of announcements,
posters and banners shout out to the able-bodied to be socially responsible.
So when we hear of quarrels on public transport like the
one on the SBS bus service 235 on July 14, 2012, between a young lady and an
elderly woman, uploaded on YouTube a few days later, it speaks of a society
losing its grace.
But this is not unlike other nations who also have
reserved seating for the same reason – to reduce the level of conflict.
Very soon, with a burgeoning population ahead in
Singapore, conflicts like the one on SBS service 235 could very well become
routine.
It’s clear a mindset change is necessary to make daily
commuting not unlike a nightmare in broad daylight for those in need.
Does the change occur from outside in, like through
authoritative measures, or inside out, where we all accept the responsibility
to change ourselves?
Society as a majority has a knack of pulling others
towards the trend. So if most of us give up our seats, then it becomes a social
norm, with the outliers feeling out of place if they do not conform. The
question is: where do we begin?
References:
Population Trends 2012 - Department of Statistics
Singapore Land Transport Statistics in Brief
Singapore in Brief 2012 - Ministry of Trade and Industry
