Transport fares to go up come October
By ahgong
@ahgong (10064)
Singapore
September 14, 2008 10:04pm CST
That is like two weeks from now. Gotta suck thumb again.
The same old argument. only 4 cents a trip what.
Well, think of it this way. If you are single and you only pay for your own fare, yes, 4 cents a trip only makes 8 cents a day. Assuming that you do not go anywhere else but make one single trip a day every day.
That would work out to 8 cents x 365 days = 2920cents = $29.20 per year.
Now imagine, if you have a wife who is a stay at home housewife looking after the kids. 2 kids in tow with two grand parents as well. All under the same roof.
You are the sole bread winner who is earning an income that just do not qualify for the $5.2 million dollars subsidy for the needy.
This will work out to an additional $29.20 x 5 = $146.00 on top of your own transport expenses.
So, tell me, is it just 4 cents only?
Same old broken record is going on and on again.
Fuel prices over the past quarter has gone down by more than 25 cents per liter.
Yet increasing fuel cost is always cited as the reason.
Then the other gripe is the increasing cost of labor.
I mean, bus captains, repair technicians are getting pay increments all the time?!?
4 cents per fare. More than one million trips per day.
Even assuming that each trip is single, non transfer trips, we are talking about $40,000 a day in increased earnings. That would work out to an easy $14,600,000 dollars a year leh.
Wow...! 
If the fare increase really shows an improvement in services, I do not mind a bit.
But what improvements are we seeing?
Take a look at the Seng Kang interchange. It is dark and dingy and smoggy. Comparing to other underground interchanges like the one in Ang Mo Kio for example, it is like comparing Day and Night. The difference is so big! The place is airy for one. And the station is bright.
How bout feeder buses that are supposed to be air conditioned?
Why? Aircon expensive so cannot on is it?
Imagine a bus full of people and the aircon is hardly stronger than my breath.
I wonder how these people can drive in that same stuffy bus all day!
Increase my fare, then give me a bus that has no windows that can be opened. And then switch the aircon so low, you cannot even feel the wind from the duct!
Has been like that when I was a student.
Still is today, 10 years after I graduated. Sigh...
I do not know the details of what is being submitted. But as a layman on the ground, if the company is already announcing profits of millions a year with rich dividends to be given to shareholders, and they are suppose to serve the public, there should be no reasons for them to constantly increase their fare unless there is a dip in profits.
Here they are today, screaming that cost is increasing. And you need to increase fare prices to make ends meet.
Then come another day, nearer the end of the year, you announce an INCREASE in profits for the fiscal year. Sheeze! 
Can I then say that the fare increase was not warranted?
Or is the fare increase going too much for that year?
As a person who cannot afford a car, one can only take a gulp and swallow hard each year when they make the announcements to increase the price of public transport fares.
Now it is back to the drawing board to see how creative we can get to make good use of the transfer rebate to work to our advantage. 
If the fare increase really shows an improvement in services, I do not mind a bit.
But what improvements are we seeing?
Take a look at the Seng Kang interchange. It is dark and dingy and smoggy. Comparing to other underground interchanges like the one in Ang Mo Kio for example, it is like comparing Day and Night. The difference is so big! The place is airy for one. And the station is bright.
How bout feeder buses that are supposed to be air conditioned?
Why? Aircon expensive so cannot on is it?
Imagine a bus full of people and the aircon is hardly stronger than my breath.
I wonder how these people can drive in that same stuffy bus all day!
Increase my fare, then give me a bus that has no windows that can be opened. And then switch the aircon so low, you cannot even feel the wind from the duct!
Has been like that when I was a student.
Still is today, 10 years after I graduated. Sigh...
I do not know the details of what is being submitted. But as a layman on the ground, if the company is already announcing profits of millions a year with rich dividends to be given to shareholders, and they are suppose to serve the public, there should be no reasons for them to constantly increase their fare unless there is a dip in profits.
Here they are today, screaming that cost is increasing. And you need to increase fare prices to make ends meet.
Then come another day, nearer the end of the year, you announce an INCREASE in profits for the fiscal year. Sheeze! Can I then say that the fare increase was not warranted?
Or is the fare increase going too much for that year?
As a person who cannot afford a car, one can only take a gulp and swallow hard each year when they make the announcements to increase the price of public transport fares.
Now it is back to the drawing board to see how creative we can get to make good use of the transfer rebate to work to our advantage. 1 person likes this
4 responses
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
If Singapore is more bicycle friendly, I'll definitely cycle. 
It helps to reduce pollution, good exercise and most importantly, I do not have to squeeze with the crowd while boarding public transport.
It's expected that they will increase prices. Nothing new. They do it almost every year. It seems like it's part of their operations to have a price hike every year.
As we all know, we only have 2 transport companies in Singapore. They operate like a cartel. They increase prices together and they do not buses which travel the exact same route. In such a situation, consumers suffer. We have absolutely no bargaining power as we have no choices.
It helps to reduce pollution, good exercise and most importantly, I do not have to squeeze with the crowd while boarding public transport.
It's expected that they will increase prices. Nothing new. They do it almost every year. It seems like it's part of their operations to have a price hike every year.
As we all know, we only have 2 transport companies in Singapore. They operate like a cartel. They increase prices together and they do not buses which travel the exact same route. In such a situation, consumers suffer. We have absolutely no bargaining power as we have no choices.
2 people like this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
2 Oct 08
If there ever come a day where bicycle is popular, then you will see some smart butt scholar coming up with some funny ideas.
Going by the way history goes, they will first try to force everyone to get a license to ride the bicycle on the road.
Then they will get people to register their bicycles before it can go on the road after a period of time. Then they will get the police to enforce these rules.
Once everyone abide by it, they will start to charge COE for the number of bicycles to be on the road. And before you know it, bicycle road tax!
It is a matter of whether they will be able to find the right opportunity to implement it only.
Sad, isn't it?
1 person likes this
We are definitely in period of stagflation.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
haha.. This is what singapore is good in.. Increasing of prices for the slightest reasons and never cut down on prices.. lol =D ON the whole, it often seems to be good for the overall public, but in reality, they are the ones earning the most.. haha
They will only look after themselves more, and often neglect all those small things that wun benefit or earn them any profits.. lol =D Like u mentioned, with an increase in fares, we should expect better services and better buses.. But that's not often the case.. For example tv mobile, most of the buses, the tv mobile is often down and or spoiled or even poor reception.. and that's what we are paying for?? haha
ANd also with the new buses we have now, so called for disabled friendly, they are friendly and good in a way, but the designers for buses are plain stupid, and they are wasting alot of spaces whereby seats can be allocated, are being used as a block for putting air.. U can see it from the single deck buses.. haha
I believe bus fares will increase soon again when the 'green buses' are out, and that will be their reason again, even though they dun run on fuel.. lol =D same like Mrts, they dun run on fuel and yet, it's the same reason they give for buses, saying its fuel increment.. lol
I think the government is trying to encourage more ple in buying cars instead of discouraging.. lol
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
Exactly what I feel too.
When things are getting expensive, they give the excuse, cost increase thus price must increase.
But when the prices of things go down, I never once hear them say, discount due to price reduction for cost.
Sigh... so much for public sector, government for the people principle.
Sure the heck gives people from other country the impression that the people working for the bus companies and the train companies are getting paid really well eh?
Now I am waiting to see how many more bus service routes are going to be changes to make it such that less transfers is needed. Then people will have no chance to exercise the higher transfer rebates except for those who transfer from train to bus.
And vice versa.
1 person likes this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
Sorry about the double post.. hehe ^_^
Yeah, if there's gonna be a change in most bus routes to direct routes, i will make sure that i will get off at every other stop to transfer bus, so that at the end of the journey, i will be paying even much lesser than the minimum that i have to pay.. lol
Very soon, maybe re-route the bus till no choice, they say, bus have to pay ERP also.. lol =D
1 person likes this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
haha.. This is what singapore is good in.. Increasing of prices for the slightest reasons and never cut down on prices.. lol =D ON the whole, it often seems to be good for the overall public, but in reality, they are the ones earning the most.. haha
They will only look after themselves more, and often neglect all those small things that wun benefit or earn them any profits.. lol =D Like u mentioned, with an increase in fares, we should expect better services and better buses.. But that's not often the case.. For example tv mobile, most of the buses, the tv mobile is often down and or spoiled or even poor reception.. and that's what we are paying for?? haha
ANd also with the new buses we have now, so called for disabled friendly, they are friendly and good in a way, but the designers for buses are plain stupid, and they are wasting alot of spaces whereby seats can be allocated, are being used as a block for putting air.. U can see it from the single deck buses.. haha
I believe bus fares will increase soon again when the 'green buses' are out, and that will be their reason again, even though they dun run on fuel.. lol =D same like Mrts, they dun run on fuel and yet, it's the same reason they give for buses, saying its fuel increment.. lol
I think the government is trying to encourage more ple in buying cars instead of discouraging.. lol
@pausmiling (116)
• Singapore
15 Sep 08
what a long post!
haha.. but ya. dun remind me man. Higher costs of travel.
Then again, half of the people will benefit from it due to higher rebate rates. LTA seems to be doing the politically right thing. Anger one half, satisfy the other so as a whole, citizens cannot make too much noise.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
16 Sep 08
Well, if they are going to give discount, give it out right.
Don't make it so difficult for the masses.
Seriously, how many of us actually do transfers?
Mabbe it is more than I think. I don't know.
All I know now is that the changes do not make it cheaper for me. In fact, it only adds to my bill.
What transfer rebate of additional 15 cents.
Then with the two fares, it is an overall savings of 7 cents.
Heck, want to give 7 cents rebate, give it out right.
All fares decrease by 3.5 cents and then I will say they are doing this for the good of the people!
Anyways, feeling the pinch here. So griping and griping... no other alternatives to voice out liow.
1 person likes this
@pausmiling (116)
• Singapore
16 Sep 08
hmmm... it is like that.
gov wants to balance both sides. earn and be nice at the same time. tough la
we just have to endure lor
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
2 Oct 08
Sometimes when you read the papers, you cannot help but feel that all these are just a show to tell the people they are doing something.
Infuriating if you think about it. Cos those people that sits on the panel are all paid. I wonder where the money is coming from? Tax payers's money?
1 person likes this
