<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>BUS-OPERATORS' FEUD
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Brothers warned after 'road bullying' report
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Passengers say their bus was sandwiched by two rival buses plying the same route </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Yeo Ghim Lay
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Bus operator Lim Yong Long (left) is accusing his younger brother Alex of blocking his buses and poaching his passengers. -- ST PHOTOS: ALBERT SIM AND MARK CHEONG
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A FEUD between two brothers, both premium bus operators, has spilled into Singapore's streets.
Mr Lim Yong Long, 50, is accusing his younger brother Alex Lim, 38, of blocking his buses and poaching his passengers.
Following complaints by passengers who use the elder Mr Lim's buses, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Public Transport Council (PTC) issued warnings to both bus operators.
The two brothers operate separate bus services that run from Ang Mo Kio to Alexandra Road during morning peak hours, and vice-versa in the evenings.
The elder Mr Lim's service, 573, has been in operation for more than eight years.
But trouble started brewing late last year when Mr Alex Lim began operating service 527, which duplicates the route of 573.
Then, his older brother accused him of deliberately trying to steal his passengers.
The situation has now gotten worse.
Five passengers of service 573 complained to the LTA last month after witnessing what they call a 'road bullying' incident on the evening of March 9.
They were on board service 573, which had stopped to pick up a passenger along Jalan Bukit Merah, when service 527 cut in front of the bus they were on, blocking its way.
A second bus, also bearing the 527 service plate, then drove up beside their bus and refused to move as well.
'We were being sandwiched between these two buses, and they did it without any consideration for our safety,' said Madam Pauline Tan, 44, one of the passengers on board service 573.
The two buses finally moved off three to four minutes later.
Madam Tan, a materials planner, said she has witnessed three or four similar incidents involving the two services in the past.
An LTA spokesman said it and PTC will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Ties between the two brothers have been sour for some time. The two used to work together in a business, but the younger Mr Lim later struck out on his own.
When contacted, Mr Alex Lim denied the allegation of bus blocking: 'They can say what they want, it's not true,' he told The Straits Times.
But his older brother insists that it is still going on, and occurred again as recently as last week.
'It has happened so many times already. I really hope someone will do something soon,' he said. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Brothers warned after 'road bullying' report
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Passengers say their bus was sandwiched by two rival buses plying the same route </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Yeo Ghim Lay
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Bus operator Lim Yong Long (left) is accusing his younger brother Alex of blocking his buses and poaching his passengers. -- ST PHOTOS: ALBERT SIM AND MARK CHEONG
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->A FEUD between two brothers, both premium bus operators, has spilled into Singapore's streets.
Mr Lim Yong Long, 50, is accusing his younger brother Alex Lim, 38, of blocking his buses and poaching his passengers.
Following complaints by passengers who use the elder Mr Lim's buses, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Public Transport Council (PTC) issued warnings to both bus operators.
The two brothers operate separate bus services that run from Ang Mo Kio to Alexandra Road during morning peak hours, and vice-versa in the evenings.
The elder Mr Lim's service, 573, has been in operation for more than eight years.
But trouble started brewing late last year when Mr Alex Lim began operating service 527, which duplicates the route of 573.
Then, his older brother accused him of deliberately trying to steal his passengers.
The situation has now gotten worse.
Five passengers of service 573 complained to the LTA last month after witnessing what they call a 'road bullying' incident on the evening of March 9.
They were on board service 573, which had stopped to pick up a passenger along Jalan Bukit Merah, when service 527 cut in front of the bus they were on, blocking its way.
A second bus, also bearing the 527 service plate, then drove up beside their bus and refused to move as well.
'We were being sandwiched between these two buses, and they did it without any consideration for our safety,' said Madam Pauline Tan, 44, one of the passengers on board service 573.
The two buses finally moved off three to four minutes later.
Madam Tan, a materials planner, said she has witnessed three or four similar incidents involving the two services in the past.
An LTA spokesman said it and PTC will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Ties between the two brothers have been sour for some time. The two used to work together in a business, but the younger Mr Lim later struck out on his own.
When contacted, Mr Alex Lim denied the allegation of bus blocking: 'They can say what they want, it's not true,' he told The Straits Times.
But his older brother insists that it is still going on, and occurred again as recently as last week.
'It has happened so many times already. I really hope someone will do something soon,' he said. [email protected]
