SBS Transit, SMRT submit applications for fare adjustment
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Originally posted by QX179R:
Govt will ensure public transport fare hike, if any, is justifiable
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has weighed in on the ongoing debate concerning the public transport fare review.
He said that a review is necessary from time to time and increases cannot be helped.
Speaking at a National Day light-up ceremony at his Teck Ghee constituency on Saturday, Mr Lee however noted that the Public Transport Council (PTC) is currently doing its work and urged Singaporeans to relax.
Mr Lee said the government's interest is to ensure that the country has a good transport system that Singaporeans can afford.
But he added that transport companies would have to be allowed to break even so that they can provide a good and efficient service.
Mr Lee said that the government will also make sure, through the PTC, that when the fares are raised they are reasonable and justifiable.
- CNA/irOh no, he used the word "afford"
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Originally posted by charlize:
Oh no, he used the word "afford"
i believe singaporeans can afford a 20% increase.
i believe the transport operators can afford a fare cut.
the ceos can afford a pay cut too.
but that doesnt mean we all want it to happen right?
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The PM is echoing what his old man said during the 1st fare increase.
He have pushed the issue to PTC again.
PTC have disappointed us for the last two times and will definitely do it again.
If PM is not bothered to look into the issues that distressing the people every day, what listening to the people is he talking about ?
It is back to auto pilot again and "you die your problem".
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Originally posted by dragg:
i believe singaporeans can afford a 20% increase.
i believe the transport operators can afford a fare cut.
the ceos can afford a pay cut too.
but that doesnt mean we all want it to happen right?
Singaporeans love to pay and pay.
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http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/07/transport-fares-up-again/
Bus fans want to critique the above article ?
Comments below are worth reading.
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This is the solution to most of the country's problems now.
Unfortunately, nobody wants to do anything about it.
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Originally posted by charlize:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/07/public-transport-feedback-from-singaporeans/
Wah, so many pictures.
These pictures are still considered okay.
During some peak periods at town MRT stations, there is worse overcrowding and traffic.
Why no bus fan want to comment on the pictures?
This overcrowding situation is ideal ?
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how to justify tt it is justifiable??????
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Originally posted by FireIce:
how to justify tt it is justifiable??????
You notice how when they are trying to justify price hikes, suddenly there will be reports of high salaries for fresh grads, pay review for nurses etc?
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Originally posted by charlize:
You notice how when they are trying to justify price hikes, suddenly there will be reports of high salaries for fresh grads, pay review for nurses etc?
The secret to controlling the population is through media. PAP media brainwashes like communist party. 我们伟大的统领��. -
Fare hikes 'help bus workers and operators'
FORMER labour chief and minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng waded into the public transport debate yesterday, explaining why fare increases, while unpopular, are necessary.
If bus fares were never allowed to go up, transport operators might not have enough 'to invest in new buses, and quality of service must drop'.
Speaking at a delegates' conference of the Singapore Shell Employees' Union, he noted that fare increases also went towards funding pay rises for workers.
'You know raising bus fares is unpopular. But if we cannot raise bus fares, how will that impact your fellow workers? I am sure you will understand that it is not fair if they cannot get wage increases,' he said.
'But their wage increase will be funded by fare increases, which adversely impact the public.'
Mr Lim, who left the Cabinet after the May General Election, said that in the absence of productivity improvements, a 3 per cent wage increase for workers meant that fares had to go up by 1.5 per cent because labour costs make up half the total operating costs for buses.
-- ST
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They are still wearing the transportation companies glasses to look at the problem.
They must be investing lots of money on the companies to make such an idiotic statement to make them more clowniest.
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Liberalising bus services may lead to "cherry-picking": Lui Tuck Yew
SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew has shot down the opposition National Solidarity Party's (NSP's) proposal to introduce more competition among public bus operators here.
The NSP had said bus services should be liberalised. It argued that private operators, regardless of size, be allowed to apply for licences to ply any of the routes, based on business considerations.
This way, the party said, bus services could be more responsive to commuter needs.
However, Mr Lui said such a move would only lead to "cherry-picking" of the profitable routes among transport operators and might not benefit commuters.
He said: "Then the challenge would be - what happens to the non-profitable routes? And in the end, would commuters end up having to pay more overall - because they may pay less on certain routes, but overall on the longer routes, the less profitable routes, do they have to pay ... more?
"So that aspect needs to be considered further. When we look at the possible contestability of routes, which is really a complicated issue, it's really about packaging routes together rather than allowing people to select those they most prefer.
Mr Lui added that currently, bus operators are obligated to run services on less profitable routes.
He explained: "Today with SBS and SMRT, we know there are some routes that are profitable, some are really in a sense loss-making, but for which they are obliged under the USO - universal service obligations - to run buses, and there are certain routes that are breaking even.
"And so there is a certain amount of cross subsidy that is taking place from the profitable routes to the non-profitable routes."
The Land Transport Authority has taken over the role of central bus planning and its latest quarterly review of bus services saw 17 service improvements.
- CNA/al -
Fares for buses and trains to go up
SINGAPORE: Public transport fares will increase from October 8 - concurrent with the full opening of the Circle Line.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced on Friday that it has approved an overall adjustment of one per cent.
The increase is significantly less than the maximum fare adjustment of 2.8 per cent public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT wanted.
The rise translates roughly to two cents more per ride for adults using ezlink card, one cent more for senior citizens with concessionary cards, and 10 cents more for cash payments.
Students or children will see no change in bus and train fares, whether they pay in cash or by ezlink.
However from October, concession hours for senior citizens will be extended to the full-day throughout the week. Their fares on the North East Line and Circle Line will also be adjusted downwards.
An estimated four in 10 senior citizens will see fare savings.
PTC chairman Gerard Ee said: "We wanted to see how we can help at least one sector of the commuters, and for a number of years now we have been hearing requests especially with a growing number of senior citizens in Singapore and we are focused on the senior citizens group.
"We are pushing very hard for people to continue working past retirement, we know we are a rapidly ageing society so it is a pressing need to address that quickly, so senior citizens get priority for this year."
Overall, 85 per cent of commuters will see an average increase of 15 cents in fares per week, said the PTC.
The last time fares were adjusted upwards was in 2008.
Back then, the PTC approved an adjustment of 1.7 per cent which translated to a fare increase of about one to three cents for commuters.
The council had taken into consideration Singapore's economic outlook and the affordability of public transport. It found the economic outlook has remained positive with the latest forecast for GDP to grow by five to seven per cent.
The latest unemployment rate also remains low, at 2.1 per cent. The monthly public transport expenditure as a percentage of household income has also dropped in the past seven years from 5.3 per cent in 2003 to 3.7 per cent in 2007.
The PTC said it had balanced commuters' interests and the operators' viability when deciding on the quantum.
Mr Ee said: "Inflation has crept up; we have been receiving feedback from commuters about various things, and we are hard-pressed to say that we should avoid the full 2.8 per cent. After taking everything into balance, we decided to cap it at one per cent.
"We actually looked at all the feedback from commuters. Commuters are not happy about a range of things, commuters are obviously going to face a range of things with inflation over five per cent already. So we started from 0 to 2.8 and we actually worked out and looked at all the various factors and how do we achieve a balance."
The one per cent adjustment translates to S$15 million in extra revenue for SMRT and SBS Transit combined.
Meanwhile the SMRT is dangling more carrots to better distribute crowds during morning peak hours at train stations.
It currently offers a 10-cent discount for commuters who exit from designated stations within the city area before 7.30am. The discount will be tripled to 30 cents and the time extended to before 7.45am.
The discount scheme will be partly funded by the estimated S$5 million the SMRT has set aside to work on schemes to incentivise commuters to shift their travel times away from the peak periods.
The SMRT has committed to conduct joint trials with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on demand management measures. More details will be announced when ready.
To help the needy cope with the fare adjustment, the government and the public transport operators have set aside some S$4 million to fund some 200,000 public transport vouchers. Application for these vouchers begins next month.
- CNA/cc/fa/ir -
because more shitheads in sg who are not sgreans, these shitheads not not talents but they take pubic trabnsport. some really have no business doing here so overcrowding. so they increas the frequency of trisp, so theyincrease fares. the station designs are from shitead foregin trasgh probably, no sits, evne got sits for wating its omse foreign tash design call arsetistic that so big a piece but only a few butts can sit. so maych for the luling partdy next GE know who to vote for again.
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Fare increase "fair and balanced"
SINGAPORE: Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew said the one-per cent fare increase, announced last Friday, is a fair and balanced decision by the Public Transport Council (PTC).
Mr Lui was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of an exhibition at Changi Airport to mark 100 years of aviation in Singapore.
"The PTC had a difficult task in balancing between the needs and interests of the different groups," Mr Lui said.
"And I think it has done an admirable job. I was particularly pleased that the concession for the senior citizens has been extended to the whole day.
"I was speaking to residents, both young and old, in the last few days since the fair revision. They highlighted that this was one of the areas very worthwhile to do."
Mr Lui noted there is still a number of improvements that can be made to bus services.
These include making the services more reliable, buses less crowded and with a shorter journey time.
He said a solution would be to introduce more buses and to see how public transport can get greater priority on roads.
He added a comprehensive review on bus services by the Land Transport Authority will address how the government can play a bigger role in boosting capacity.
"Left to the companies alone, I don't think we will see this take place at the pace we want to see.
"Hence, I think part of the review by LTA is to see at what speed we ought to see this implementation taking place in the coming years and how the government needs to step in to play a role beyond what it is today, to bring this about."
The review is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.
-CNA/wk -
the next time he takes a train ride or bus ride, he might be mauled to death