Community Engagement
MAGIC CARES Van Community Programme
The MAGIC CARES Van Programme was officially launched by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange on 10 October 2019.
The programme is a partnership between SBS Transit and I'm Soul Inc, a social enterprise, where we employ music to touch the lives of the elderly in our community. We use the sound beam technology, which uses sensor beams and wireless switches, to encourage the elderly to move to produce music. Participants create familiar tunes of beloved oldies by moving, even if it just involves the moving the hands and them singing along.
For a start, community partners, Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore) and St Luke's Eldercare, have been supportive in publicising the programme and encouraging the elderly in their neighbourhoods in Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio to join the sessions. A dedicated MAGIC CARES Van transports the sound beam equipment and devices to the community sessions where SBS Transit Bus Captains and staff as well as those from I'm Soul Inc are also involved.
Bus Carnivals
We organised two major carnivals inviting members of the public to visit our new bus depots – Seletar and Ulu Pandan – which were opened by the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, in January and October 2018 respectively. Each of the carnivals drew about 3,000 visitors who had sneak peeks of our facilities, bus operations and the technologies that we employ.
Launched in 2016, the Adopt a Station/Interchange programme supports and complements the Ministry of Education’s Character and Citizenship Education through Values-in-Action. It aims to engage schools and the community to play a more active and involved role in our stations and interchanges. Participating schools and organisations can contribute to the community and enhance overall travelling experience by promoting graciousness and safety in travel to fellow commuters, as well as showcasing their talents through artworks or performances at the stations and interchanges.