OPINION: SMRT - from zero to hero?

Tan Ek Kia was named interim CEO, a move UOB's Kay Hian said was SMRT "signaling its intention to refocus on its core rail operations and assure the public that all efforts are made to ensure the smooth operation of its rail transport system.”

As welcome as this move seems to be, it still leaves a gaping hole to be addressed. SMRT isn't just suffering from train breakdowns. It isn't even just suffering from a communications breakdown. It is suffering from a cultural breakdown.

I don't have any background knowledge into why this is the case. I just know that they have lost the plot. Rather than work with a sense of purpose first, out of which profits spring, they seem to have focussed on shareholder returns above all else. Refocusing on 'core rail operations' is vital, but they also need re-discover their core principles, and move from a culture of secrecy to one of transparency. Giving full and real-time information mitigates disruption by  allowing commuters to plan and ahead. It also builds trust.

The new maxim needs to be: if in doubt, share.

I would like to propose a three-part programme for SMRT: Listen, Speak and Build.

Listening is the cornerstone of any communications activity, and in the connected age that means social media monitoring. It doesn't take a genius to work out that the travelling public in Singapore are disgruntled so this might seem a bit moot right now – a case of closing the door after the horse bolted. It is, however, necessary to get a deeper understanding of why people feel so aggrieved, and to be able to deal quickly with any and all issues or crises that might arise in the future.

In addition to this kind of social media listening program,  SMRT should run ongoing 'mystery passenger' type programs – mystery shopping exercises to understand what passengers are experiencing on trains and buses, both in Singapore and in exemplar countries such as Japan and Hong Kong.

Our research, using both mystery passenger and social media monitoring approaches, indicates that Singaporeans feel that trains are overcrowded; that they do not run frequently enough, particularly in the evening rush hour; that there is not enough information provided about delays or faults; that there is a lack of signage on platforms which can be confusing for emergencies, new journeys and tourists. There is a deeper perception that the company is focused on increasing fares and cutting costs to increase profits and serve shareholders – and not to provide the optimal transport network possible.

Next comes Speaking. SMRT needs to learn from its Twitter debacle, having said its Twitter account is 'open' 9am to 6pm - and fast.  Twitter is not a place to run office hours, and nor is it a place to glibly say that everything is hunky dory during a crisis. It is a place to communicate in real-time, in detail, on what is happening.

If in doubt, share. Slight delay on east-west line? Share. Fault train found? Share. Average frequency? Share. Roadworks affecting buses and taxis? Share.

It needs to be present anywhere its commuters are looking for information: at stations and bus stops, on road signs, on Facebook andTwitter, its website, on LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, forums etc It needs to make its CEO and other leaders visible and available; riding trains, regularly appearing on videos and answering questions on social networks. It needs to take onboard everything learned during listening activities,  to answer questions or to help design new programmes.

Which leads us to Build.

SMRT runs more than a physical network. It runs a parallel data network – the data about its services. This data should be made available. In real-time.

It should share its data, in fact it should over-share. Real-time service data, passenger numbers, forecasted and actual down-times, average frequency of trains and buses, defects found, power availability, improvements, retail outlets, ad space, you name it.

Not only should SMRT provide live access to this data on its own website and iPhone or Android apps, it should also provide a free API to this data. This allows enterprising developers to create new services with this data.

Imagine if Google could immediately tell you current average wait and journey times between Clementi and Tanjong Pagar, or if this data could be overlaid onto Google Maps. Or if Yahoo could create a widget that flashed up train disruptions on its homepage, or if Facebook & Twitter could feature it in their right hand side bars.

Even better, what if some enterprising students or entrepreuners were to take the data and create live, real-time visualisations of Singapore, showing congestion hot spots, delays, arrivals and departures. Bring in partners, and this could be done across all modes of transport with weather and major event data included. Commuters could check this app on the way to and from work and change their journey plans if need be.

To paraphrase Rahm Emanuel, you should never let a good crisis go to waste.

By re-focusing on core principles and moving to complete transparency, SMRT could lead Singapore to regain its rightful place as a case study in 21st century public transport.

Timimi is chairman of VML Qais, the Asian arm of the world's leading digital agency network VML. VML Qais was formed in December 2011 when VML took a majority stake in Qais Consulting, the Singapore and India-based digital agency. VML is part of the Y&R Brands network.