COMMUTERS taking feeder bus services will be having a shorter wait.

From August, SBS Transit and SMRT Buses will have to ensure that at least 85 per cent of their feeder bus services run at frequencies of not more than 10 minutes during weekday peak periods.

By August next year, at least 90 per cent of the feeder services run by the two bus service operators will have to meet this standard.

The PTC said this will allow time for the operators to phase in their procurement of new buses and recruit more drivers.

'In a hub-and-spoke system, feeder bus services play an important role in connecting commuters to MRT stations and bus interchanges. Increasing the frequency of feeder services will help to reduce commuters' waiting time and journey time,' PTC Chairman Gerard Ee said.

In the operating performances for the six-month period from June 1 to Nov 30, SBS Transit and SMRT Buses' met most of the standards set. There was non-compliance on standards of scheduled frequency, bus breakdown rate and accident rate.