Transport fare decrease across the board... or is it?
By ahgong
@ahgong (10064)
Singapore
February 22, 2009 11:41pm CST
There is always a catch. Always a catch!
Recently, the local papers are reporting all the hype over the local transport companies' reduction of 2 cents across the board for fares.
And how the poor companies are having to absorb the losses to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, which is more than what the government is subsidizing them for other factors like road taxes and fuel taxes.
And a lot of people are not aware, the cuts are infact an increase in the cost of transport for majority of commuters who rely on the public transport to bring them around.
Everytime they make an announcement of something, there is always a catch.
Imagine, on the front, it looks like there is a decrease. But on the whole, they gained more than the decrease they are giving!
Refer to the attached picture.
Imagine, for a single transfer trip, one is gonnar be paying on average of more than $0.10 per trip!
So much for the losses they are gonna incure. More like the millions they are gonna gain is more than the losses they are gonna be incurring.
I sure hope that more people calculate the changes to the fare structure like the author in the attached letter do. This is out right deception!
1 person likes this
2 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
23 Feb 09
I'm not able to see the breakdown in the attached picture, clearly.. hehe ^_^ But anyway, in singapore, everything happens for a cause, and whatever is opened to public, often are seem and deemed to be in the interest of us.. But actually, it's more beneficial for the government instead.. lol =D Like the saying, there's no free lunch in the world.. lol =D
So, in times in recession, what makes u/me think that our government is willing to make a further loss when its already dipping into our reserves?? lol =D It's common sense, right??
Anyway, i dun care much about public transports because i will choose to walk whenever i can, and they can do whatever they want, for all i care.. lol =D After all, in singapore, whatever goes up, will never come down.. And even if in this case here, transport fares decrease, but there are other things that are increasing on the silence.. lol =D
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
23 Feb 09
Think of it this way. We used to have a 25 cents rebate for single trip transfer between the different modes of transport.
Now, the first transfer will only rebate 14 cents.
That already we lose 11 cents in rebates when we only need to do ONE transfer. Which is usually the case.
How many people you know makes more than three transfers in a one way trip to work?
To me, this is deception at its ultimate!
The other one peeve I got is the percentage they announced. 2 cents equals a 4.6% DISCOUNT.
Now think of it mathematically. 4.6% = 2 cents
That would mean that 100% = 43.48 cents.
Where in Singapore did you manage to find a fare that is less than 50 cents today?
Even based on the cheapest fare on the list, which is 73 cents, the percentage discount should read 2.7%, not 4.6% as reported.
If this is not a balant case of deception, I dunno what is!
1 person likes this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
23 Feb 09
Oh.. NOw i get what u really mean here.. hehe ^_^ IN a way, we are actually paying more than before and even though it's stated that we are paying less.. What's brought up by the government is only on the general point of view and hoping that we will just accept..
If that's the case, i will rather not want the 'adjustment' in fares and prefer things to remain as it is now.. Futhermore, it's pretty ridiculous to keep changing and doing of transfers in order to 'qualify' for the reduction of fares.. lol =D
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
24 Feb 09
Precisely!
Imagine, every commute to work is an additional 11 cents. Two trips a day is 22 cents.
Even with the reduction in fares across the board, we are still paying more per trip!
If this is their kind of reduction to help us, I rather they don't help!
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
3 Jul 09
It's never to our benefit no matter how carefully they phrase it to make it look like it is.
I keep telling people not to take things at face value, because there is no free lunch.
As soon as I see anything that says " for your convenience ..." or "for your benefit..." I know I'm going to be angry, because it's never for my anything.
Discounts are never discounts. Decrease in prices is never decrease in prices - not to me or the general public it isn't -. |Things done for my convenience are always in fact for their own.
We need to really remember " Nothing is done for us or for our benefit, unless it suits their political/economical agenda, and in that case only while it does".
