Tag: Fare increment

Commentary – Fare Hikes & Little India

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Seems like I have been blogging for a while. A really long while, because I have been lazy. But there are finally some things that compelled me to put down in wrting. Let me start with the fare increments.

As far as I am concerned, I am neutral about this increment split into two stages over 2014/15. However, it annoys me to see how the government controlled media tried to spin it as either as something positive and welcomed by everyone or that we are resigned to it. I get a little sick and tired when I see on TV the views of certain commuters saying – “I hope the increments won’t be too much.”. Thank you, you stupid feth. You made it sound like we accept fare increments as a norm when most of us really don’t. And many of us object to constant fare increments for good reasons and not because we are stingy about our money.

We all know (and not just feel) the traditional media is biased because we will never see on television the person who cursed and denounced any fare increments, or the person who talks about why he objects to the increments. The state of Singapore’s public transport certainly isn’t the rosy picture the government painted in spite of the S$1.1 billion BSEP (Bus Service Enhancement Programme). The spate of MRT breakdowns, and shitty train intervals constantly remind us the service of the SMRT remained deplorable. The waiting time of the buses too. So the Ministers for Transport, the ministries and the PTC (Public Transport Council) can quit trying to make us accept things as is, but really get down to do something effective to remedy the situation. If you are scratching your head wondering why we are angry, you might be better off finding another job where you know what you should be doing and why. Finding a new job maybe something the people of Singapore can help you with in a few years.

Anyway, I wouldn’t call this a hike. I am not against it because of the further concessions given to the handicapped, the elderly, the low income and to poly students. These are some of the things that I wanted to see since 2010 (or perhaps even before that). Above which, for some regular travellors the $120 monthly pass is good for them even though a friend has raised the question of how many people actually benefit from this. In any case, all these new concessions are way overdue. About damned time, you know?

The traditional media clearly tried too hard to give this a positive spin, and they have “overcooked the meat”. They should have simply make this as neutral as possible, but instead those who are dead against any fare increments regardless of the concessions are now provoked, and they now turn up the volume to remind everyone why they should object to the fare increments. I do not necessary disagree with some of their views. For example, one of my friends mentioned the formula to work out how much fare increment the PTOs (Public Transport Operators) will get has something to do with wage increments. It seems like by default PTOs are now entitled to fare increments as long as wages have increased acorss the board. Too bad for those who got zilch for increments over the last few years.

Now try and imagine how the average worker feels about that when they are repeatedly told that their wage increments are tied to their productivity! The fare increment formula is completely absurd because I am also in the opinion that the transport operators’ exisitng profits are enough to pay for the additional concessions. That alone is the main reason why I am not for any fare increments at all. It doesn’t matter whether some of their profits are from their operations overseas. The excuse fares must increase because their local operations isn’t making enough money is completely unacceptable. Not only has our public transport not been catching up with the demand over the years, the service standards has gone way south. The regular breakdowns of the MRT, and the long waiting time for the buses continued to plague us remained to be fixed. One of my friends lamented that she is wasting her life away waiting for buses in a bus stop everyday!

That said, please object to the fare increments in good order. Burning effigies and spitting on an Ezylink card is not the way to do it. I certainly need not caution everyone on why we shouldn’t play with fire in our own homes, especially for those of us who lived in HDB flats. I also think it is really unhygenic to spit on the Ezylink card, not forgetting it is rather rude and unsightly to do so in the public. Where are we going to wipe our spit or phlegm from the card after that? Perhaps those who heed Gilbert Goh’s call can do so for a limited period as long as the chap promises to provide them a supply of clean tissue paper, and agree to pay on your behalf when you are fined for spitting.

Next, the so-called “Little India drunkard Riots”…

I get a little sick and tired of hearing about how alcohol was solely to be blamed for the entire fiasco at Little India. But I’ll come back to that later.

First of all, we are repeatedly told not to speculate what was the true cause of the Little India Riot. I even seem to recall one of the PAP’s own back benchers got smacked down by the Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hian for bringing up the concerns of her own constituents. I personally won’t “speculate” what caused it but I agree with this ex-police officer that it could have been contained.

In any other country with a free press, the media would not only be praising the authorities on how well and fast it responded. While we should be glad no shots were fired and that bloodshed was kept to the minimal, that will not be the only thing we read on the papers. We will also not be hearing a pack of wolves howling a chorus from our highest offices in government that alcohol is solely to be blamed. Sadly, we do not hear much about the other side of the story. What other side of the story anyway when a number of them were simply deported without due course of justice?

Also, no one from the local media so much even visited the dormitories of the poor deceased man to speak to his co-workers. No one told us what his fellow workers think about him and such. Beyond that, no one talks about the treatment these workers are getting, such as their wages and working conditions. Oh, I guess that would be speculating that they are unhappy and their unhappiness being a reason for their rioting. I am sorry.

Yes, I am pissed off that a bunch of foreigners come and make part of my country a mess. That they even dared to create trouble to our peaceful “utopia” is an affront to us all. The photo of a police woman in riot gear makes me swell with pride, and another photo of police officer, bleeding from his forehead makes me even angrier with the rioters. A few of us even wished we were out there with these fellow sons and daughters of Singapore, to take back our homes and restore the peace we knew. Yet, this is where I can understand why the rioters did what they did, seeing their fellow countryman lay dying, trapped under the wheels of the bus.

I will not forget that we have build our city upon the labour of these workers. In some ways I would say, we build our nation by exploiting these workers who would accept wages that a Singaporean would be laboring in vain. While the perpetrators of the scene at Little India that night deserved our ire, the rest stood by and did not participate. Those who helped those in the ambulance get away, and especially that unknown hero who defended the lady which the mob wants to get to, truly deserved our respect. Much more, way much more, than the likes of brotosaurus-breath economic parasites like Anton Casey and some of those so-called “foreign talents” ever deserved.

I remembered one of the ministers once said if we do not want this foreign workers, we must expect that our living standards drop a little. I don’t know whether it is a warning, or a threat. But this is my response, I would rather I live in a little less luxury, and not build it upon the misery of another human being. No, I am not that noble. If I agree to treating another human being as nothing more than some kind of livestock, then one day I would be treated the same way myself. Call it self-preservation, if you will.

Now, back to the matter of alcohol. Finding a scapegoat is easy. But there is no way the government can find someone to blame in this case. It cannot say that the police mishandled the situation, because there will be denunciation of their incompetence. It cannot and will not say allow the speculation that the workers are mistreated and thus angry because that would make us focus on our labour policies and the Ministry of Manpower. So, alcohol is an easy scapegoat. It is a liquid that cannot talk back and cannot be brought to stand trial. Legislations can easily be made to control that “guilty, evil liquid”. And hey look! Our efficient government has taken swift, effective action to ensure that never again will this happened.

Yet, are the lessons learn? Or are they swept under the carpet with the hope that this unhappy episode will be quickly forgotten?

Singapore deserved better. God bless Singapore.

Commentary – Distance Based Fare System

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I personally really have no clue how the Public Transport Council [PTC] conclude that 2/3 of commuters will see their transport fare goes down while the remaining 1/3 will see an increase in their fares.

I noticed in Twitter and Facebook many comments that their fares have gone up but I didn’t really take pay close attention. It was after fellow blogger DK put up his blog post, I decided to use gothere.sg and calculate my fare. I thought I should just verify what he wrote for my own good if I wanted to pass on the information to another person.

The result was utterly shocking!! I am also among the 1/3 which will see my fare rise from $1.51 to $1.62. It’s a 11 cents (almost 7.3%) increment per trip (left). Based on a 22-day work month, that is about another $4.84 a month ($58.08 a year – which would be better if I gave it to a charity that allows me 250% tax reduction per dollar contributed). That makes the two of us among the 1/3 who are paying more per trip. Basically, if you can travel directly from point to point without making a transfer, you are out of luck!!

The devil is clearly in the details, and the PTC has done a very good job this round to sugar-coat the poison package this fare increment to stamp out commuter outrage. Meantime, trains are still coming at deplorable intervals after this hidden fare increment and they are usually still packed to the brim while bus bunching remain rampant – especially in the recently prevalent rainy conditions.

To make sure my anger is ‘justified’, I checked with a few other people and I realised that if you are able to travel from your home to your workplace without any need to transfer, your fare can go up even a staggering 17.4% (12 cents). This is the case for a school teacher who lives just a few stops away from where she stayed (see below). For her to reduce her fare increase to just 2 cents, she will have to take the feeder bus which takes her on a tour around the estate a roundabout route before reaching her destination. (She also pointed out that the calculation on gothere.sg may differ from that of publictransport.sg, so you might want to also check it out when doing your calculations.)

The only exception is when I checked with Nicole who needs to make two transfers and she saved 25cents a trip. The fare dropped from $2.10 to $1.85 (see below). While I was going to congratulate her for being among the so-called 2/3 of commuters who are saving on travelling, she pointed out to me that it is ridiculous that the transport fare system would punish her if she chooses to wake up early to walk to the MRT station. In fact, she also pointed out that the only time she gained is when she shuttles between home and work, but it will be even more expensive for her to travel directly without transfer from point to point.

It wasn’t long both of us came to the conclusion that this new fare system seems to suggest that you ‘waste time to save money’. I did a calculation based on a hypothetical journey where instead of walking from home to the MRT, I take a feeder to the MRT station for just ONE bus stop instead. And viola, I was surprised that that trip actually cost me $1.71 under the old system, but only $1.64 now. In the past when I walk to the MRT station, it would only cost me $1.51 and gives me a healthier lifestyle. Now it costs me $1.62 to do the same and if I wanted to fool myself that I have reduced my fare by a imaginary 7 cents (from $1.71 to $1.64), I have to forsake my walk to and from the station not to mention it would take me an estimated 5 minutes more in travelling time.

So, whatever happened to the advantage of staying near an MRT station or finding a workplace that is convenient? Is there even now a point of buying property near an MRT station? Whatever happened to a healthier lifestyle? Why are people penalised for walking to the MRT station?

I managed to bother yet another friend to do the fare calculation down over at gothere.sg and publictransport.sg, and it managed to reinforce my opinion that one should find a workplace that takes as many transfer as possible (see below). Do take specific note that the comparison here between the gothere.sg results and that of publictransport.sg is provided here as a rough comparison because gothere.sg suggested to her the supposed ‘shortest’ way to get to her destination while she took one that reduces the walking distance.

I suppose now I have a even better reason to jack up the price of my unit near the MRT station because it actually cost me more to travel using public transport, in spite of the convenience of it being nearby.

By the way, I was told that Saw “Phiak Phiak” (SMRT CEO) responded that “I never said that I didn’t recognise it’s crowded… I accept it’s crowded. The point is, in comparison with others, we’ve yet to push people into the train,” referring to Japan and some parts of China.

Is she even aware that most large cities in China have a larger population than Singapore, not to mention that Tokyo is the largest metropolis in the world if I am not wrong? If she isn’t aware of these facts, she probably deserves to get her ass “phiak phiak’ed”. Just which moron put this ignoramus as CEO of one of Singapore’s public transport company? I felt almost vindicated because I mentioned this in my previous post:

“The above statement gives me the impression that if you can legally do it, you would have us all pushed in every single train the way wool is stuffed into a pillow.”

Addendum
It is my considered opinion that while it maybe technically true that ‘2/3 of the people benefits’ from this new fare system, it creates the impression that 1/3 of the people is made to pay more to ‘subsidise’ 2/3 of the rest. Now I wouldn’t really care if car owners or the more affluent are made to ‘subsidise’ public transport users, but how 1/3 of people who use public transport – who I generally do not consider rich – are made to ‘subsidise’ the other 2/3 is beyond me.

Besides, I am still in the opinion that the entire system is ill-conceived and commuters who make regular short trips – for e.g. to take lunch at a hawker centre slightly further away from the workplace, to meet friends after work near the office, to the mall or supermarket at the city central to buy some stuff, or children taking public transport to school – he will end up paying more and some of that will go towards eroding whatever savings from the regular / daily transfers made from those trips requiring them. After all, if I understand it correctly, basic fares has gone up from 69cts to 71cts across the board for anything under 3km. That’s no mentioning that if you have elderly dependents or children, their concessionary fares also go up accordingly. It really doesn’t matter if one enjoyed going to godforsaken places where ‘birds do not lay eggs and dogs do not shit’ every now and then, and have several transfers showing $0 or $0.01 to give an orgasm. Just make sure one made enough money when young so they won’t feel sorry about the fare during the last few years of life.

Basically there is really not much we can do about it except to bitch about it, or just ‘suck it up’ as this blog post suggests.

Personally speaking, since the transport operators are on the PTC and I consider this action ‘a conflict of interest’ and ‘self rewarding’, I have no incentive to be civil-minded and to take any form of action should I see anyone vandalising and damaging their vehicles or equipment. Do I really care about the other commuter whose trip will be ruined if someone breaks the seat on the bus? Nah, he could be paying less because he needs to transfer while I end up with the short end to ‘subsidise’ him. What goes around simply… comes around. Not forgetting, it’s not like even if the buses are in tip top conditions they won’t be replaced for a long time. All of that replacement cost is always transferred to commuters so face it: It’s already factored in the next fare increment already.

Anyway, I have no long since ceased to believe members of the PTC (who are car owners, and definitely not use the public transports as often as most commuters do) will take note of the plight of most commuters and understand what is really required. It would be ironical when the day some form of distance based ERP system be adopted but it will be cold comfort to many commuters who has long suffered under this ridiculous fare system.

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Daily Discourse – 1.5% GST = Free Public Transport?

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Here is the video of ‘kindergarten teacher’ Raymond Lemon Lim lecturing the ‘kids’ of MacPherson about transportation fares and subsidies.

So, it’s 1.5% more in GST for free transportation. This comes from the horse’s mouth and I didn’t make it up.

Let me do a simple calculation here, kindergarten style, ok?

  • If annual income is $50,000, disposable income = $40,000 after CPF.

  • 1.5% of $40,000 = $600. (That’s if you spend every cent you earn.)

  • $600 a year = $50 a month.

I top up my Ez-Link ItchyLink card at least twice a month, and each time it’s at least $30. Each trip is $1.64 and since I work at least 22 days a month that means $72.16 in transportation for the month. So by paying 1.5% more in GST I actually save $22.16 if I earn $50,000 p.a.

Frankly, going by Raymond Lim’s figures, I think anyone who earns less than 50K and takes public transport should take up his offer. Remember, the lesser you earn, the lesser in GST you can possibly pay. (Don’t flame me for this… this is the same method used by the government gahmen to justify the amount of GST goodies given to you was sufficient to cover the GST hike!)

After all, when you earn only $20,000 p.a., then the disposable income you have is $16,000. And if you spend all that $16,000 you earned, 1.5% on that is only $240 a year ($20 a month!!). In short, the more mode of transport you need to use, 1.5% of GST for free transport is exactly the ‘plan’ for you!!

But where’s the catch? The catch is, they will now increase GST annually! Every man can figure that out even by using the head of their one-eyed bandit to think. And that’s not mentioning that the service standards will be any better than the almost non-existent ones now. In short, it might even get worse since they are going to say: “It’s free, don’t complain!”

And you mean you don’t know the Tali-PAP’s modus operandi by now?

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Daily Discourse – Fuel Cost ≠ Fare Increment

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This is even better than a cup of coffee. I get so pissed off after reading I can’t sleep even until 0130hrs in the morning.

Will try to contain costs
By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent

WITH 2009 shaping up to be a ‘difficult year’, the government will try to moderate public transport costs next year, promised Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Sunday.

The Public Transport Council (PTC) will continue to take economic conditions into account in its annual assessment of bus and train fares, due in the second half of next year, he added.

But Mr Lim also tempered hopes that current falling oil prices will translate into a similar drop in fares, saying that there is no direct correlation between the two. If there is, public transport fares would have shot up 40 percent between last year and earlier this year on the back of a spike in oil prices over the period, but did not, he said.

Mr Lim was speaking at a dialogue with some 300 MacPherson residents on Sunday. He was accompanied by Member of Parliament for MacPherson Matthias Yao.

In the morning, he toured the constituency, distributing food rations, chatting with residents and participating in a ceremony to lock in a time capsule containing items such as community photos.

This was followed by an hour-long dialogue where the minister fielded six questions. While a few residents touched on matters such as cycling paths and foreign workers, it was clear that concerns about the cost of living amid a recession were on the top of most minds.

Mr Gillian Teo, 54, a business development manager, started the ball rolling by expressing the hope that there will not be any public transport fare increase next year, as retrenchments mount.

In his response, Mr Lim said: ‘I can understand his concern. It’s going to be a difficult year next year, so we’ll try our best if possible to moderate the costs.

‘How do we do it?’

The PTC, which regulates public transport fares, will have to ‘sit down’ and weigh various factors: the impact on commuters, on transport operators and the economic conditions.

‘So it will factor all this in,’ he said.

The last round of fare adjustments was in September, when the PTC approved an overall net hike of 0.7 percent in bus and train fares.

But the minister also dispelled the hope expressed in a popular question that he said many have put to him: With oil prices now plummeting, why not fares too?

‘That’s a fair question,’ he said. ‘The answer is that public transport fares are not directly linked to oil prices.’

Instead, they are tied to what Mr Lim called national factors: the level of inflation and average wage increases.

Refuting the idea that fares are directly linked to oil prices, he pointed out that ‘from 2007 to this year… oil prices went up 40 percent, but fares went up just 0.7 percent’.

Another resident asked if commuters should be reimbursed the higher transport fares that they paid when oil prices were high, and if the transport companies were making ‘a lot of profits’.

Mr Lim urged his audience to look at the ‘big picture’. He said: ‘We don’t want the companies to be making excessive profits, but that’s different from saying that they cannot make profits at all.’

Like I have said before, the current leadership lea-duhship inspires no confidence in the people. This is yet another classical example of them being so detached from the people in their ivory towers that they either couldn’t feel what the common people is going through, or they wouldn’t give a fxxk at all because they think we are all idiots.

First of all, let’s put an end to this bullshit, Raymond Lemon Lim. Just how much profits should the transport operators make before even you would consider it excessive? Just like the freaking Town Council sinking sink hole funds, please put a cap on it. Or do we need to wait for some smart clerk to come around and siphon off all that money before you guys with your helicopter vision suddenly discovered a need to do something about it?

Frankly, the transport operators repeatedly justify their need to raise fares annually by citing higher operating – especially fuel – costs, and just what arcane formula is being used here to determine the annual increase before the PTC rubber stamps its approval?

It is a clear sign that Lemon is truly out of touch with the economy and farting through his mouth when he even mentioned these: the level of inflation and average wage increases. The fact is, a lot of that inflation is artificial! GST, ERP remember? Not to mention the likes of sugar prices, rice prices going up to drive up the costs of your regular meals, and even your cup of kopitiam coffee!

Anyway, the economy will be shrinking and consumer confidence will plummet as the magnitude of the current recession sinks in. While I don’t expect a deflation, that will still mean inflation returning to saner levels, not to mention negligible or zero wage increases or else companies will need to start retrenching staff. In fact, with our currency devaluing and factoring in inflation, we have technically a negative wage growth! So where is your justification not to reduce fares? It brings me back to ask again, what is the arcane formula used to justify the amount of fare raises since Lemon actually brought up that fuel costs are up 40% but fares are only up 0.7%? Don’t forget, we had record inflation over the past few quarters too!

Is Lemon Lim suggesting that wage increment was the only ‘saving grace’ that kept the fare increment to 0.7% then? Thanks for implicitly admitting that our wage increments suck (other than that of the mini$ter$). That goes to say… we have been bearing a greater burden with almost the same amount of money all the while!

On top of that, if my kneecap or shoulders can think, even they would have figured out that the following two components will be the biggest part of the transport operators’ operating costs – fuel and wages. However, we can see with our own eyes that even when fuel prices was at record levels, the transport operators were still making profits! How did that happen is anybody’s guess, but it suggests that the operators maintain a comfortable amount of ‘strategic fuel reserves’ to protect them for such price jitters. As for wages, didn’t they bring in drivers from China recently?

Lemon Lim is probably trying to act smart by not committing to anything. In fact, he might be just setting the stage to show that the Tali-PAP actually cared for common Singaporeans (they do?) when the PTC reduced fares next September just when the economic conditions will either get worse than it already is, or when it can’t be even worse. But to say that the ‘fare hike is not linked to oil price’ part is just plain lame and dumb. Either way, he showed that he is either not cut to take impromptu questions from the public at all, or he treats us all as idiots.

But if it’s the former, in the future he should always just bring the permanent secretary or whatever along and have that poor sod take the bullet instead.

And by the way, Lemon Lim can go ahead raise GST to 10% if all rides on bus and MRT is free. After all, that sounds like the underlying tone in his reply.

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