The Success of MRT’s “Reserved Seat”
Its deen a couple of years since the government and the public transport sector started to re-campaign the idea of reserved seating in public transport, especially MRT, in Singapore. From Phua Chu Kang to Dim Sum Dollies, even The Noose had an episode on public transport. So… was the campaign successful?
I would say yes. How? not by people giving up their seats, but by the number of Stomps on Stomp itself. When i visit Stomp, there always seems to be new post of people seating on reserved seats, placing their bags on reserved seats etc. Indeed, the campaigning seems like a success, but is it truely one?
Firstly, I think we need to define what is reserved seat. Is it similar to a handicap parking lot, where at no circumstances should it be occupied, or is it just priority seating? Because from what I see, some Singaporeans are getting the perception that it is the former. When u look at the posts on Stomp, some of the stompers get a clear shot of those sitting on the reserved seats, with no one standing up or near the seats. What it suggest is that the train is not crowded, and there are seats available. Yet, these people are ‘stomped’. It seems to me that people are starting to think this way and many people are avoiding these reserved seats. While it indirectly encourages us to give up these seats, could it be sending a negative message, especially to our young?
“I am not sitting on a reserved seat. I do not need to give this seat up. If he or she needs the seat, he or she should go to the reserved seat.” I believe some of us would have developed these thoughts, and this is what I am afraid of. Could our young also be thinking this way? What if the reserved seats are taken by people who need the seats and more people who require seats board the train?
Instead, I propose the new idea of making every seat a reserved seat, Why not encourage every Singaporean to give up their seats, regardless of where it is? I believe this would be a better campaign and would encourage more people to embrace the idea of self sacrifice. We have enough regulations in Singapore, and hopefully one day, it does not become another regulation that we must give up our seats to those who need it.
P.S. Stompers: I applaud those who stomp people who hog reserved seats when there are clearly people who need them.
