Buskers performing at train platforms. Train carriages plastered with bright stickers. Free tissue paper for commuters.

Are these God's greatest gifts to mankind since salted egg custard bun and this gif of Emma Watson doing this?:

Not really, because these are just some of the initiatives the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be implementing over the next few months to make the train journeys of MRT-riding commuters more tolerable, as reported by Today on June 30, 2014.

They were put in place to -- get this -- make rides more pleasant and encourage people to smile.

Okay.

Whether these methods will work eventually is anybody's guess. Their effectiveness could be anywhere from "waiting to be seen" to "it'd take a miracle".

But why are these gimmicks put in place instead of other real-world solutions? Well, think of them as buying time.

Immediate solutions are nowhere in sight as the population in Singapore isn't decreasing anytime soon, new trains will only arrive from this year onward, while the sleeper replacement project will be completed by 2016.

Furthermore, here's the official explanation given by the LTA director of corporate transformation and futures Agnes Kwek, who said the authority is seeking to improve the train experience by carrying out social experiments:

"But, in addition, public transport is very much a shared social space and our interactions with other commuters affect our train experience."

"We're launching a series of trials to foster a positive commuter culture -- be it behaviour, interaction or atmosphere."

Okay.

Top and bottom photo from LTA

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.