Talk about the SMRT training programme (Easy)

Explain how the programme differs from what has been rolled out (Slightly less easy)

Explain timing for this programme (Moderate)

Respond to the survey showing commuter has lost trust in SMRT (Difficult)

Comment if he is going to quit (Very difficult)

Reporter: Mr Kuek, maybe you can tell us about the significance of the programme going out today?

Kuek: Safety and service excellence are key tenets of our values system and we're committed to putting in all our effort to making this very much a part of our work culture.

I'm very proud of our service staff, and our buses and our trains, and the stations and interchanges, to go the extra mile to build trust and bring on smiles everyday with everyone who journeys with us.

We believe that we can do more to help everyone on their travel journeys, make our transport network more inclusive, and to this end, there are many -- the elderly, those who are visually and audio impaired, those who are bound to their wheelchairs, crutches, and those with special needs -- with a bit of extra help from our staff, and with the fellow support of commuters, we believe we can go a long way to give them greater mobility.

And this greater mobility, we hope, can help them with their lives and to make their lives more convenient and they can go about their daily activities more confidently.

Reporter: How much more different is this between what they are receiving, compared to what they may have already received before the programme was rolled out?

Kuek: The staff in SMRT have embarked already on a service excellence journey. They have been trained to help out, to go the extra mile to look for people who need that special help and assistance from them.

This particular set of training which we are doing with NTUC Learning Hub helps them to better identify and support those with special needs, so that they can be a lot more attentive and sensitive to the needs of those who might need the extra boost in their daily mobility needs.

Reporter: Mr Kuek, why now? Is it in response to the PTC's recommendations announced this morning?

Kuek: We have been supporting PTC in their efforts for a while now. It's not in response. This is something we have had in the works for a long while now. This is the time that we are ready to roll this out much more fully across the network. We've already trained up several hundreds and we hope to train up more than a thousand five hundred by the middle of this year.

Reporter: So, based on the PTC survey, the trust in SMRT is relatively low rating than what it was previously. So, what is your response to that? How do you plan to restore this trust and confidence?

Kuek: Interest and confidence in our network is one we need to continue to work on. This is, unfortunately, some times affected by incidents that have taken place in recent memory of our commuters. But we also take heart from the Public Transport Council's survey with commuters. They are, by and large, satisfied with the service that SMRT provides and they are encouraged by the effort our staff put in to continuing to make every effort to improve. And I am very confident that we will in time rebuild that trust and confidence with our commuters.

Reporter: Mr Kuek, what is your response to The Straits Times article last week saying that you are expected to step down amidst leadership changes?

Kuek: That's purely speculative.

Female minder: Okay, thank you.