After speaking to more than 3 000 commuters, a panel in Singapore came up with over 20 recommendations on making public transport more family-friendly.

The panel worked for 10 months, led by Singapore Public Transport Council chairman Richard Magnus and Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairman Sitoh Yih Pin.

The recommendations submitted to Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min, on April 30, included allowing rear-door boarding of buses for people pushing open baby strollers and installing user-friendly stroller restraint systems. The panel also suggested that buses should have space for at least two wheelchairs, or for one wheelchair and one open stroller. Commuters also want bus captains to get training on driving nearer to the kerb so as to make "stepless" buses truly stepless.

Other recommendations include having bus interchanges for commuters with special needs and building physical or virtual training facilities or a space "that allows all children with special needs to familiarise themselves with the transport system prior to travelling on public transport".

The panel also recommended developing system maps and transport apps showing the availability of amenities such as nursing rooms, changing facilities and exits with a lift.

On his Facebook page, Lam expressed his delight in having received the report on the panel's recommendations to make Singapore's transport network even more inclusive.

"Singapore has invested much into the hardware of our public transport infrastructure and renewal works over the last few years and the Advisory Panel’s recommendations on how to improve the heartware is very timely and appreciated," he said, describing the report as a "labour of love."