As at March 31, 2007, bus routes covered by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses measured 4,289km one way, up 22.1 per cent from five years ago, says the latest annual report of the Public Transport Council (PTC).

There are no figures going further back than that.

Except for 2003, when bus services were cut in an unpopular move when the North-East MRT Line opened, bus coverage has since then been climbing, figures published by the independent watchdog body indicated.

SBS Transit's coverage grew 17.7 per cent in the last five years to 2,967km. Its spokesman Tammy Tan said the company had added more routes and services in response to customer feedback.

SMRT Buses' coverage has also climbed. As at March 2007, its routes measured 1,322km - a third more than five years ago.

SMRT has about 800 buses, and SBS Transit, 2,700.

The increased coverage is starting to pay off in increased ridership. This year, ridership grew for the first time since 2000 to 2.853 million rides a day from 2.785 million last year.

But coverage 22 per cent wider than five years ago has also almost doubled the volume of feedback, compared to five years ago.

The record 9,169 pieces of feedback - mostly complaints - received this year by the PTC, the Land Transport Authority and public bus operators is 30 per cent more than a year ago.

As before, the lack of service reliability topped the list of complaints. Commuters were unhappy with long waiting times and overcrowding.

Bank executive Jon Yeo, 38, who takes No 131 to work, said: 'Waiting time for buses can be unpredictable and frustrating, especially when you cannot even board one when it arrives because it is overcrowded.'

The PTC is addressing the waiting-time issue. In two years, it wants 80 per cent of buses to arrive at 10-minute intervals during peak hours, from the current maximum of 15 minutes.

As for predictability, a pilot project is now on at 20 bus stops, where electronic signs give commuters a countdown to the next bus' arrival - like in MRT stations.

SBS Transit also has an online and SMS service to tell commuters when its buses are arriving. About 15,000 people having been using it daily since it started early this year.

SBS Transit reckons demand for buses will rise even as new MRT lines are added.

Its spokesman Ms Tan said: 'Buses are more equipped to react to changes in commuters' demands. For example, if a new development sprouts and there is a sudden surge in demand for our services, we will be able to route our buses to cater to this group of commuters.'