“Singapore now got 3-door bus!” and “Here cannot go in!” are only some of the eye-catching Singlish headlines on Tower Transit Singapore’s new double-decker bus, The Straits Times reported.
The company’s group communications director Glenn Lim told the Singapore daily that the signs were located strategically around the bus, such as near the doors and reserved seats, to help commuters “use the services provided on the bus better”.
The colloquial headlines, he said, were meant to direct passengers’ attention to the explanations below them.
The explanations, given in standard English, may be enough to reassure most language sticklers that Singapore is serious about its English. However, some passengers still have their concerns.
“While the signs are localised and relatable, they might perpetuate an excuse to not use good English,” one woman in her 20s told the daily.
Nevertheless, others have hailed the notices, such as “Sorry, wait a while can?”, as a light-hearted means of attracting passengers’ attention.
The daily quoted professor Tan Ying Ying, head of the Division of Linguistics and Multilingual Studies at Nanyang Technological University, as saying that Singlish could actually create more awareness of the information being transmitted.
According to the report, the signs will be on the bus for a six-month trial period.