LTA to pilot social initiatives at some MRT stations

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/buskers-themed-cabins-better-mrt-experience?singlepage=true

Buskers performing at train platforms, elaborately-decorated themed carriages and staff clutching stuffed toy flowers and giving out tissues to welcome commuters.

These are among the “social experiments” the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is embarking on over the next few months to make commuters’ train journeys a little less harried.

LTA hopes these social initiatives can make commuters’ journeys more palatable and encourage people to smile.

The initiatives will be piloted at selected SMRT train stations on a small-scale basis, so the LTA can monitor commuters’ receptiveness before assessing whether to implement them at other stations.

Kicking off the initiatives is a football-themed cabin on the North-South Line. It comes decked with 3-D turf grass and soccer ball toys, as well as stickers of a football pitch and prints of cleats directing commuters to the middle of the cabin.

The pilot will start from July for three months at five MRT stations — Jurong East, City Hall, Raffles Place, Eunos and Bukit Batok. Buskers will be endorsed under the National Arts Council's (NAC) Busking Scheme and will perform during the morning and evening peak hours. They can also collect donations.

A test run was conducted at Jurong East, City Hall and Raffles Place MRT stations in May and commuters’ response was positive, said the LTA.