Chicken noodle cream with celery: "Response to article 4"

I found the title of this article rather disturbing. I mean how would you react when you read ‘Public transport system not quite ‘first class’’? Haven’t we always been praised for our efficient and well-planned public transport system?

However harsh this statement may be, I could not help but agree with the many points brought up; the points about the inefficiency of buses, the long waiting times, the filthy or non-working air conditioners, the crowdedness and the low level of cleanliness in many of the buses. Yes, I continued nodding my head in agreement as I recalled all the many times I had to wait close to an hour for a bus, the numerous times I had to squeeze onto a bus carrying my heavy softball bag and still trying to keep my balance on the steps and the countless times I could not sit down because the seats were mouldy all over. I was in complete agreement with the article when it suddenly dawned on me that all this while the writer was only criticizing the bus transport system. As I scanned through the article, I found very few non-bus examples of a poor public transport system. The writer had written out of point by narrowing his view and only focusing on our poor bus system alone. As his main focus was on the hygiene level, he lacked elaboration on factors such as efficiency, accessibility or cost, thus making his criticism on the entire public transport system as a whole very weak. I find the title very inappropriate and should be changed to ‘Public transport hygiene level not quite ‘first class’’ instead.

However, even though the writer’s stand is rather harsh, we cannot deny the fact that much improvement can be made to raise the hygiene level. The writer accurately points out that the problem lies with “high touch” surfaces (pull handles) and dirty air-con filters. Though these problems may sound minor, my father told me about a friend of his who contracted Herpes Simplex Eye Disease just by rubbing his eyes after touching an infected blood stain on a pull handle. Shocking but true. Thus, I find his suggestions for the implementation of stringent operational maintenance standards for buses and trains to be cleaned and disinfected every day very relevant.

In conclusion, even though the article was quite well written, I found the title lacking in terms of precision. The title suggested that the main issue would address the poor public transport on a whole inclusive of factors such as efficiency or comfort but the article only seemed to focus on the poor hygiene level rather than on the big picture. However, it redeemed itself by identifying the health hazards and providing useful suggestions to raise the hygiene level. With more precision, I feel that this article would be effective in putting the message across to LTA that much improvement can still be made to raise the hygiene level in our public transport system.

Word count: 496