12-12-12 - Speaker of Parliament, PAP MP Michael Palmer resigns due to 'improper conduct'
Ho say liao, Bus fare will not go up for the time being!
Showing posts with label Public Transport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Transport. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Paying millions for idiots.
Breakdown unavoidable on heavily utilised train system
Ministry of Transport will try to minimise disruptions as much as possible. -myp
Tue, Apr 10, 2012
Disruptions on a heavily utilised rail system such as Singapore's are unavoidable, but breakdowns longer than 30 minutes are considered major disruptions, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in Parliament yesterday.
He said the Ministry of Transport "will try and minimise as much as possible the major disruptions and to keep them in check".
But with an average of 2.7 million passenger trips daily and thousands of train trips in more than 18 hours a day, "there is no way you can prevent disruptions from occurring".
He was responding to Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah's queries on whether more can be done to address the spate of breakdowns.
"If they do take place, you then have an incident-management plan in place that will try to ameliorate the effects on commuters," he added.
Mr Lui also gave details of the resources spent by transport operator SBS Transit on preventive maintenance of the rail track and tunnel of the North-East Line (NEL).
He said it spent about $16 million from 2007 to last year in this area, adding that it was "a fraction of the total maintenance cost that they spent" on the line.
The operator, which has an in-house team of about 470 maintenance staff, also conducts regular inspections in accordance with approved maintenance plans, he said.
This includes a monthly deployment of an engineering vehicle to detect track faults, six-monthly tunnel inspections to check for cracks and leaks, as well as nightly checks to look for signs of defects or wear and tear.
On March 15, some 90,000 commuters were affected by a disruption on the NEL, which lasted some 10 hours. It was the biggest train disruption here since two major incidents on SMRT's North-South Line on Dec 15 and 17 last year.
Mr Lui said he has asked the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to work with the operators to put in place a "condition- monitoring regime" to give a better idea of how to prioritise some of the maintenance efforts needed.
Mr Lui also addressed the issue of employing foreign bus drivers. He was referring to a recent accident in Sengkang, where an SBS Transit bus driven by a foreign driver killed a 66-year-old woman.
While everyone is "saddened" by the incident, Mr Lui stressed that regardless of nationality, it is crucial that every driver is adequately trained and appropriately qualified.
"Especially if they come from abroad, then (they should be) given the kind of orientation that will help them familiarise themselves with the peculiarities of the system here in Singapore," he said.
In the public-bus sector, about 61 per cent of drivers are Singaporeans and permanent residents, about 26 per cent are Malaysians and about 12 to 13 per cent are from China.
Mr Lui added that the training of foreign drivers should include infusing them with the responsibility that they carry and to make sure that they operate their vehicles in a safe manner.
While the two public-bus operators will need to hire about 1,600 more drivers for the additional 800 buses in five years, Mr Lui said the Government will not micro-manage their wages and employment terms.
The LTA is also exploring the use of buses from private bus companies to supplement the public-bus fleet, he noted.
But there are constraints as private operators are trying to maximise the utilisation of their fleet, and are also needed to ferry workers and students during the peak hours, he said.
He added that the current system of rotating an average of two drivers to operate every bus through the course of a day was adequate.
Mr Lui said: "There's the morning peak as well as the evening peak and, in between, some of the drivers will then get to rest in the interchanges."
Now you have a million dollar Minister telling you that it is acceptable for train to break down. This is like throwing in the towel before the match even start.
Terrible mentality I wonder what kind of “quality” people Hsien Loong select to be Minister.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, it is UNACCEPTABLE for any break down.
Say you pay for a cheap “Guess” watch, I believe it is acceptable if it breaks down 10 years later. But if you spent a premium on a Rolex, I will expect it to be working 50years later with proper maintenance.
We now have the most expensive cabinet in the world telling us that too bad you have accept these failures.
Crab.
Then change a cheaper person to run the show or cut the cost of transport then maybe we can accept some sort of disruption.
Running an efficient transport is possible it is just a matter of will and the resource you are willing to pour in.
If we have money minded Minister and Transport operator, do you think their priority is the commuters or bottom line?
The answer is obvious.
Ministry of Transport will try to minimise disruptions as much as possible. -myp
Tue, Apr 10, 2012
Disruptions on a heavily utilised rail system such as Singapore's are unavoidable, but breakdowns longer than 30 minutes are considered major disruptions, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in Parliament yesterday.
He said the Ministry of Transport "will try and minimise as much as possible the major disruptions and to keep them in check".
But with an average of 2.7 million passenger trips daily and thousands of train trips in more than 18 hours a day, "there is no way you can prevent disruptions from occurring".
He was responding to Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah's queries on whether more can be done to address the spate of breakdowns.
"If they do take place, you then have an incident-management plan in place that will try to ameliorate the effects on commuters," he added.
Mr Lui also gave details of the resources spent by transport operator SBS Transit on preventive maintenance of the rail track and tunnel of the North-East Line (NEL).
He said it spent about $16 million from 2007 to last year in this area, adding that it was "a fraction of the total maintenance cost that they spent" on the line.
The operator, which has an in-house team of about 470 maintenance staff, also conducts regular inspections in accordance with approved maintenance plans, he said.
This includes a monthly deployment of an engineering vehicle to detect track faults, six-monthly tunnel inspections to check for cracks and leaks, as well as nightly checks to look for signs of defects or wear and tear.
On March 15, some 90,000 commuters were affected by a disruption on the NEL, which lasted some 10 hours. It was the biggest train disruption here since two major incidents on SMRT's North-South Line on Dec 15 and 17 last year.
Mr Lui said he has asked the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to work with the operators to put in place a "condition- monitoring regime" to give a better idea of how to prioritise some of the maintenance efforts needed.
Mr Lui also addressed the issue of employing foreign bus drivers. He was referring to a recent accident in Sengkang, where an SBS Transit bus driven by a foreign driver killed a 66-year-old woman.
While everyone is "saddened" by the incident, Mr Lui stressed that regardless of nationality, it is crucial that every driver is adequately trained and appropriately qualified.
"Especially if they come from abroad, then (they should be) given the kind of orientation that will help them familiarise themselves with the peculiarities of the system here in Singapore," he said.
In the public-bus sector, about 61 per cent of drivers are Singaporeans and permanent residents, about 26 per cent are Malaysians and about 12 to 13 per cent are from China.
Mr Lui added that the training of foreign drivers should include infusing them with the responsibility that they carry and to make sure that they operate their vehicles in a safe manner.
While the two public-bus operators will need to hire about 1,600 more drivers for the additional 800 buses in five years, Mr Lui said the Government will not micro-manage their wages and employment terms.
The LTA is also exploring the use of buses from private bus companies to supplement the public-bus fleet, he noted.
But there are constraints as private operators are trying to maximise the utilisation of their fleet, and are also needed to ferry workers and students during the peak hours, he said.
He added that the current system of rotating an average of two drivers to operate every bus through the course of a day was adequate.
Mr Lui said: "There's the morning peak as well as the evening peak and, in between, some of the drivers will then get to rest in the interchanges."
Now you have a million dollar Minister telling you that it is acceptable for train to break down. This is like throwing in the towel before the match even start.
Terrible mentality I wonder what kind of “quality” people Hsien Loong select to be Minister.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, it is UNACCEPTABLE for any break down.
Say you pay for a cheap “Guess” watch, I believe it is acceptable if it breaks down 10 years later. But if you spent a premium on a Rolex, I will expect it to be working 50years later with proper maintenance.
We now have the most expensive cabinet in the world telling us that too bad you have accept these failures.
Crab.
Then change a cheaper person to run the show or cut the cost of transport then maybe we can accept some sort of disruption.
Running an efficient transport is possible it is just a matter of will and the resource you are willing to pour in.
If we have money minded Minister and Transport operator, do you think their priority is the commuters or bottom line?
The answer is obvious.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Myopic tunnel vision by these idiots.
Disruption seemed to be better managed, says Minister Lui
Mar 16, 2012
Compared to the train service breakdowns in December last year, yesterday's North East Line (NEL) disruption - which was due to faults discovered before the train services began - seemed to be better managed, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
SBS Transit's larger fleet of buses, which could be activated to ferry affected customers, and the smaller number of stations involved helped alleviate the situation, said Mr Lui.
So did the lessons learnt from the disruptions on the North South Line - operated by SMRT - on Dec 15 and 17 last year, which resulted in the two train operators working closer together.
"Even if there's a situation that affects lines run by SMRT ... we could see an improvement on the situation compared to the past," said Mr Lui, who was speaking to reporters outside Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station (picture) where he was assessing the situation.
There were announcements informing commuters about the disruption, unlike in December when announcements were made only on the affected lines, he noted. Since then, SMRT and SBS Transit have also come together to allow free travel on bus services that serve affected MRT stations during a disruption, in addition to the bus bridging services.
During yesterday's disruption, commuters could travel on SBS Transit's 124 or SMRT's 190 services for free - but commuters were generally unaware of this, Mr Lui said. "We need to do a better job to make sure that people know that there are other services that are also free," he said.
Mr Lui pledged that the authorities and the operators would carry out a thorough check on the entire NEL for symptoms "that may point towards other problematic areas along the line".
But he added: "The feedback and the update that I have gotten from my people in the operation centre is that they believe that it is confined only to the stretch between Outram and HarbourFront."
I think Tuck Yew is missing the point.
Yes there is definitely an improvement the ways the transport operator handle this incident but the question is, WHY IS THERE A DISRUPTION IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Now MRT disruption seen to be a norm these days and SBS Transit and SMRT must explain why this is so.
Lack of maintenance? Cost cutting? Lousy design?
Is there anymore underlying problem that are waiting to disrupt the system and are all angles covered to prevent future disruptions?
To me all these checks should have been done long ago when the first disruption happened. I guess they are still trying to save on the maintenance, worst still they don’t know what underlying problems are there in the system.
This is what you get for putting “yes man” who only care about profit as CEOs.
Tuck Yew is going to F them for giving him bad publicity now.
Mar 16, 2012
Compared to the train service breakdowns in December last year, yesterday's North East Line (NEL) disruption - which was due to faults discovered before the train services began - seemed to be better managed, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
SBS Transit's larger fleet of buses, which could be activated to ferry affected customers, and the smaller number of stations involved helped alleviate the situation, said Mr Lui.
So did the lessons learnt from the disruptions on the North South Line - operated by SMRT - on Dec 15 and 17 last year, which resulted in the two train operators working closer together.
"Even if there's a situation that affects lines run by SMRT ... we could see an improvement on the situation compared to the past," said Mr Lui, who was speaking to reporters outside Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station (picture) where he was assessing the situation.
There were announcements informing commuters about the disruption, unlike in December when announcements were made only on the affected lines, he noted. Since then, SMRT and SBS Transit have also come together to allow free travel on bus services that serve affected MRT stations during a disruption, in addition to the bus bridging services.
During yesterday's disruption, commuters could travel on SBS Transit's 124 or SMRT's 190 services for free - but commuters were generally unaware of this, Mr Lui said. "We need to do a better job to make sure that people know that there are other services that are also free," he said.
Mr Lui pledged that the authorities and the operators would carry out a thorough check on the entire NEL for symptoms "that may point towards other problematic areas along the line".
But he added: "The feedback and the update that I have gotten from my people in the operation centre is that they believe that it is confined only to the stretch between Outram and HarbourFront."
I think Tuck Yew is missing the point.
Yes there is definitely an improvement the ways the transport operator handle this incident but the question is, WHY IS THERE A DISRUPTION IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Now MRT disruption seen to be a norm these days and SBS Transit and SMRT must explain why this is so.
Lack of maintenance? Cost cutting? Lousy design?
Is there anymore underlying problem that are waiting to disrupt the system and are all angles covered to prevent future disruptions?
To me all these checks should have been done long ago when the first disruption happened. I guess they are still trying to save on the maintenance, worst still they don’t know what underlying problems are there in the system.
This is what you get for putting “yes man” who only care about profit as CEOs.
Tuck Yew is going to F them for giving him bad publicity now.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
No public transport fare adjustments this year BUT......
No public transport fare adjustments this year
07 March 2012
SINGAPORE: There will be no public transport fare adjustments this year as the fare formula undergoes a review, says Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
And where bus services are concerned, commuters can expect significant improvements by end-2014, as capacity is ramped up with the government-initiated S$1.1 billion Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
Public transport operators will also be subjected to higher service levels than those meted out by the Public Transport Council (PTC).
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Lui said the current public transport fare formula is due for review this year for implementation in 2013.
And while the review is ongoing, there should not be a rush to implement this year's fare adjustments.
He said this is even though the public transport operators are facing significant cost pressures, especially on their bus operations.
Minister Lui said he had discussed the matter with PTC chairman Gerard Ee, who agreed to suspend this year's fare adjustment exercise.
Instead, the new fare formula, which will be ready in 2013, could take into consideration the fact that fare adjustments were not made in 2012.
Mr Lui said he intends to appoint PTC member Richard Magnus to head the committee for the fare formula review.
Mr Lui said that Mr Magnus, having joined the PTC recently, will bring a new pair of eyes and a fresh mind to the task.
The fare review committee will seek views widely, study the possible options and propose improvements to the framework for the review exercise.
Minister Lui said the outcome of the review should be a framework that continues to achieve a good balance between affordable public transport fares and sustainable public transport operations and which continues to ensure productivity and efficiency.
The committee will complete its work within a year.
Meanwhile, public transport fare concessions will not be extended to the disabled and polytechnic students just yet. This is because there will be no fare adjustment this year, said Minister Lui.
Alex Yam, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, said: "The explanation that polytechnic students are tertiary ones have been oft-quoted and used. However, this perceived issue of semantics and of administrative pegging has been hardly palatable for many. As more and more of our students aim for poly education, their choice in education should not become an inequitable one when it comes to transport fares."
Mr Lui replied: "Now that senior citizens have been granted their full-day concessions, the next groups that I am sympathetic to are the disabled and polytechnic students. However, I urge Members to be patient as not all of these requests can be addressed immediately or entirely within a single fare revision exercise."
Concession hours for senior citizens were extended as part of the 2011 fare revision exercise.
Mr Lui also revealed that a survey conducted by SIM University (UniSIM) in October 2011 had shown that the overall satisfaction with public transport services fell slightly from a year ago, with the decline in satisfaction levels for bus services being more significant.
But commuters can soon expect improvements.
There will be more buses on the roads. Over the next five years, operators will pump in 250 buses while the government will fund 550. Overall, 70 percent of the 800 buses will be added over the first three years.
Mr Lui said: "It will take some time for the new buses to arrive, for supporting infrastructure like bus depots and bus parks to be built, and more importantly, for the PTOs (public transport operators) to aggressively ramp up their recruitment of bus drivers. By the end of 2014, with 70% of these new buses in operation, there will be tangible and significant improvements across the bus network."
Of the 550 new buses the government will pay to add, about 300 will go towards reducing crowding and improving the frequencies of existing bus services, while 250 will be for new bus routes.
Operators will also be expected to deliver higher service levels, beyond the current Quality of Service (QoS) standards required by the PTC.
Firstly, operators would have to ensure buses are less crowded during peak hours. Minister Lui elaborated: "The PTOs (public transport operators) will be required to reduce the loading levels for all basic bus services from the current 95% to 85%.
"Commuters can expect about 10% more capacity along the more crowded stretches of bus routes during peak hours. With more buses injected to spread the load, bus frequencies will also go up. Overall, this will mean shorter waiting times for commuters during peak hours, a higher likelihood of getting onto the first arriving bus, and a more comfortable ride."
Secondly, the PTOs will have to improve the peak-hour frequencies of feeder bus services. 95 percent of all feeder services must operate within 10-minute scheduled intervals or better and the remaining 5 percent, within 15-minute intervals compared to the current 30 minutes.
These must be sustained over two hours during the morning and evening peaks.
Thirdly, the PTOs must improve the frequencies of trunk routes.
While the focus in the initial years will be to improve service levels for existing bus services, commuters can also expect better connectivity.
40 new bus routes will be progressively added over the next five years, typically in new towns like Sengkang, Punggol and Yishun.
The new routes are also expected to enhance local connectivity in towns.
There will also be eight more parallel bus routes running along MRT lines and expressways to connect major towns to the city centre. Six have been identified so far.
Minister Lui also said his ministry will look into what more can be done to make MRT stations and major bus nodes more accessible for the elderly and disabled.
He said construction works for lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges next to six MRT stations will be completed by the end of next year.
The stations are Aljunied, Bishan, Khatib, Kranji, Sengkang and Yew Tee.
Hurray? Nah not from the Men In Whites.
In the first place why the used fare adjustment and not fare increase? I never see the fare go down anyway.
What they are trying to con us is that they already raised the fare for buses and train and taxi last year so this year there will no more fare adjustment. Not even downward.
And please note that the new formula will kick in in 2013 and therefore I am pretty sure they WILL be a significant fare increase.
In fact there should be a fare reduction due to the poor performance of SMRT and SBS.
The Minister himself also said that there will be only significant improvements by end-2014, so shouldn’t the fare be freeze or reduced till then?
Why the poor commuters has to face fare increase for the same old lousy services while the gahment are pumping in tax payer’s money to help these profit making companies?
And I am pretty sure there will be another big increase in 2014 because that is 2 years before the election in 2016 and people will tend to forget things that happened 2 years ago.
So people do be careful what the government is trying to tell you especially when they are saying half truths.
07 March 2012
SINGAPORE: There will be no public transport fare adjustments this year as the fare formula undergoes a review, says Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
And where bus services are concerned, commuters can expect significant improvements by end-2014, as capacity is ramped up with the government-initiated S$1.1 billion Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
Public transport operators will also be subjected to higher service levels than those meted out by the Public Transport Council (PTC).
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Lui said the current public transport fare formula is due for review this year for implementation in 2013.
And while the review is ongoing, there should not be a rush to implement this year's fare adjustments.
He said this is even though the public transport operators are facing significant cost pressures, especially on their bus operations.
Minister Lui said he had discussed the matter with PTC chairman Gerard Ee, who agreed to suspend this year's fare adjustment exercise.
Instead, the new fare formula, which will be ready in 2013, could take into consideration the fact that fare adjustments were not made in 2012.
Mr Lui said he intends to appoint PTC member Richard Magnus to head the committee for the fare formula review.
Mr Lui said that Mr Magnus, having joined the PTC recently, will bring a new pair of eyes and a fresh mind to the task.
The fare review committee will seek views widely, study the possible options and propose improvements to the framework for the review exercise.
Minister Lui said the outcome of the review should be a framework that continues to achieve a good balance between affordable public transport fares and sustainable public transport operations and which continues to ensure productivity and efficiency.
The committee will complete its work within a year.
Meanwhile, public transport fare concessions will not be extended to the disabled and polytechnic students just yet. This is because there will be no fare adjustment this year, said Minister Lui.
Alex Yam, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, said: "The explanation that polytechnic students are tertiary ones have been oft-quoted and used. However, this perceived issue of semantics and of administrative pegging has been hardly palatable for many. As more and more of our students aim for poly education, their choice in education should not become an inequitable one when it comes to transport fares."
Mr Lui replied: "Now that senior citizens have been granted their full-day concessions, the next groups that I am sympathetic to are the disabled and polytechnic students. However, I urge Members to be patient as not all of these requests can be addressed immediately or entirely within a single fare revision exercise."
Concession hours for senior citizens were extended as part of the 2011 fare revision exercise.
Mr Lui also revealed that a survey conducted by SIM University (UniSIM) in October 2011 had shown that the overall satisfaction with public transport services fell slightly from a year ago, with the decline in satisfaction levels for bus services being more significant.
But commuters can soon expect improvements.
There will be more buses on the roads. Over the next five years, operators will pump in 250 buses while the government will fund 550. Overall, 70 percent of the 800 buses will be added over the first three years.
Mr Lui said: "It will take some time for the new buses to arrive, for supporting infrastructure like bus depots and bus parks to be built, and more importantly, for the PTOs (public transport operators) to aggressively ramp up their recruitment of bus drivers. By the end of 2014, with 70% of these new buses in operation, there will be tangible and significant improvements across the bus network."
Of the 550 new buses the government will pay to add, about 300 will go towards reducing crowding and improving the frequencies of existing bus services, while 250 will be for new bus routes.
Operators will also be expected to deliver higher service levels, beyond the current Quality of Service (QoS) standards required by the PTC.
Firstly, operators would have to ensure buses are less crowded during peak hours. Minister Lui elaborated: "The PTOs (public transport operators) will be required to reduce the loading levels for all basic bus services from the current 95% to 85%.
"Commuters can expect about 10% more capacity along the more crowded stretches of bus routes during peak hours. With more buses injected to spread the load, bus frequencies will also go up. Overall, this will mean shorter waiting times for commuters during peak hours, a higher likelihood of getting onto the first arriving bus, and a more comfortable ride."
Secondly, the PTOs will have to improve the peak-hour frequencies of feeder bus services. 95 percent of all feeder services must operate within 10-minute scheduled intervals or better and the remaining 5 percent, within 15-minute intervals compared to the current 30 minutes.
These must be sustained over two hours during the morning and evening peaks.
Thirdly, the PTOs must improve the frequencies of trunk routes.
While the focus in the initial years will be to improve service levels for existing bus services, commuters can also expect better connectivity.
40 new bus routes will be progressively added over the next five years, typically in new towns like Sengkang, Punggol and Yishun.
The new routes are also expected to enhance local connectivity in towns.
There will also be eight more parallel bus routes running along MRT lines and expressways to connect major towns to the city centre. Six have been identified so far.
Minister Lui also said his ministry will look into what more can be done to make MRT stations and major bus nodes more accessible for the elderly and disabled.
He said construction works for lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges next to six MRT stations will be completed by the end of next year.
The stations are Aljunied, Bishan, Khatib, Kranji, Sengkang and Yew Tee.
Hurray? Nah not from the Men In Whites.
In the first place why the used fare adjustment and not fare increase? I never see the fare go down anyway.
What they are trying to con us is that they already raised the fare for buses and train and taxi last year so this year there will no more fare adjustment. Not even downward.
And please note that the new formula will kick in in 2013 and therefore I am pretty sure they WILL be a significant fare increase.
In fact there should be a fare reduction due to the poor performance of SMRT and SBS.
The Minister himself also said that there will be only significant improvements by end-2014, so shouldn’t the fare be freeze or reduced till then?
Why the poor commuters has to face fare increase for the same old lousy services while the gahment are pumping in tax payer’s money to help these profit making companies?
And I am pretty sure there will be another big increase in 2014 because that is 2 years before the election in 2016 and people will tend to forget things that happened 2 years ago.
So people do be careful what the government is trying to tell you especially when they are saying half truths.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
What greed had done to this county.
SMRT suspends bus driver as coma victim's condition worsens
20 December 2011
SINGAPORE: Bus operator SMRT has suspended the driver who was said to have braked abruptly and caused a passenger to fall on Sunday. The victim, 54-year-old Madam Ding Weibo, has since slipped into a coma and her condition has apparently worsened.
Mdm Ding's husband, Mr You Bujia, said: "There are now complications with her lungs, and she has started to develop a fever. Her urinary tract is also infected. Her brain has also started to swell, so that's not good news. When my daughter heard the news, she almost fainted."
Mr You said the doctor has told him to be prepared for the worst.
An SMRT spokesperson said the company has an intensive training programme, of up to one-and-a-half months, to ensure its bus captains or what it calls "Service Leaders" (SLs), are equipped with customer service and safe driving skills.
The spokesperson added: "Trainees will go through a Service Proficiency course which comprises operating technical and safety features on the bus, dealing with demanding passengers and emergencies, and understanding the public transport system such as the fare structure and bus schedules, to name a few.
"In addition, SLs are required to undergo a ten-day on-the-job training to familiarise themselves with their bus routes."
After the first year on the job, they also have to attend a two-day refresher course to learn about advanced safe driving techniques.
SMRT also revealed that the driver involved in this incident has worked in the company for two years.
SMRT has suspended the Singaporean driver from his duties, as investigations continue.
This is sad that it causes someone life to surface the problem of lousy training programme and the poor quality of drivers of public transport.
Personally I felt the quality of bus driver had dropped over the years.
I remember when I was young the ride was much smoother and the drivers more helpful.
Nowadays you get unmotivated drivers who drive like shit.
Taxi drivers are not much better, these days I keep getting taxi driver declaring they don’t know the way to where I am going and ask if I know.
Note it is not asking me which why I would like to go and I am not going to some super remote island but these idiots actually are totally clueless!
F you lah! Have some pride and study the street directory if you want to be a taxi driver.
So what happened to our “world class transport system?”
The main reason is they had all became like our Men In White, Money Money Money.
They all want maximum profit so the CEO can get big fat pay cheques.
So they cut down on maintenance, trainings and staff cost.
Therefore trains and tracks break down, drivers get lost, more accidents due to in-experience drivers, etc.
On top of these poor standards, they still increase fares!
Amazing!
You screwed up big time and you still want more profits.
These greedy people have a first class ticket to hell now.
20 December 2011
SINGAPORE: Bus operator SMRT has suspended the driver who was said to have braked abruptly and caused a passenger to fall on Sunday. The victim, 54-year-old Madam Ding Weibo, has since slipped into a coma and her condition has apparently worsened.
Mdm Ding's husband, Mr You Bujia, said: "There are now complications with her lungs, and she has started to develop a fever. Her urinary tract is also infected. Her brain has also started to swell, so that's not good news. When my daughter heard the news, she almost fainted."
Mr You said the doctor has told him to be prepared for the worst.
An SMRT spokesperson said the company has an intensive training programme, of up to one-and-a-half months, to ensure its bus captains or what it calls "Service Leaders" (SLs), are equipped with customer service and safe driving skills.
The spokesperson added: "Trainees will go through a Service Proficiency course which comprises operating technical and safety features on the bus, dealing with demanding passengers and emergencies, and understanding the public transport system such as the fare structure and bus schedules, to name a few.
"In addition, SLs are required to undergo a ten-day on-the-job training to familiarise themselves with their bus routes."
After the first year on the job, they also have to attend a two-day refresher course to learn about advanced safe driving techniques.
SMRT also revealed that the driver involved in this incident has worked in the company for two years.
SMRT has suspended the Singaporean driver from his duties, as investigations continue.
This is sad that it causes someone life to surface the problem of lousy training programme and the poor quality of drivers of public transport.
Personally I felt the quality of bus driver had dropped over the years.
I remember when I was young the ride was much smoother and the drivers more helpful.
Nowadays you get unmotivated drivers who drive like shit.
Taxi drivers are not much better, these days I keep getting taxi driver declaring they don’t know the way to where I am going and ask if I know.
Note it is not asking me which why I would like to go and I am not going to some super remote island but these idiots actually are totally clueless!
F you lah! Have some pride and study the street directory if you want to be a taxi driver.
So what happened to our “world class transport system?”
The main reason is they had all became like our Men In White, Money Money Money.
They all want maximum profit so the CEO can get big fat pay cheques.
So they cut down on maintenance, trainings and staff cost.
Therefore trains and tracks break down, drivers get lost, more accidents due to in-experience drivers, etc.
On top of these poor standards, they still increase fares!
Amazing!
You screwed up big time and you still want more profits.
These greedy people have a first class ticket to hell now.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Half hearted effort from the Transport Ministy
LTA studying commuters' travel patterns to ease jam
21 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority is studying how to manage train travel patterns and will make their ideas known soon.
Minister of State for Transport and Finance, Josephine Teo, gave this update in Parliament on Monday.
She said parallel buses have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy.
But commuters still prefer trains as taking buses may mean a longer travel time due to road conditions.
She added that the upcoming Downtown Line should ease travel loads when it opens. And changing travelling behaviour of commuters may need more work.
Mr Cedric Foo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, said: "Other than just supply-shaping, can we look into demand-shaping?
"In other words, how to further incentivise commuters to travel pre-peak hours through discount?
"Today, there's a 30-cent discount but can that be increased?"
Mrs Josephine Teo said: "Since the enhanced discount for pre-peak travel was introduced, the numbers are not completely in yet.
"But anecdotally, the shifting of behaviour has not been great.
"And it looks like more needs to be done to encourage people to travel earlier.
"The feedback that has been given is that often, our commuters value their sleep more than what they have to pay."
I will be keeping a look out for the study report. I hope it will not be another “this is it but we cannot do anything” report.
But end of the day I personally think the solution is not that difficult but rather do the government and the transport operators want to do it or not.
Firstly to ease peak hour crowd, the bus and train operator just have to increase the frequency of trains and buses to the max. E.g let say you have 20 stations on the East West line you just have to pack the maximum allowable trains that the infrastructure can take say about 20 trains, one for each station, running at the same time. I guess that squeeze in even more.
Josephine said commuters still prefer train over parallel buses that have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy. Try reducing the fare for these buses by 50% and I am sure more people will take the bus.
Frankly I don’t mind taking a longer time if I can get a seat and it is cheaper when I take the bus.
Cedric brought up a good point. 30 cents definitely is not an incentive for you to travel before peak hour, in fact what can you buy for 30 these days.
Try to give 50% discount off the fare and I am sure there will be more off-peak commuters.
Note for off-peak travel they are asking you to go to work early. How come they are not encouraging you to go to work later? The government is scheming for you to work longer hours.
In fact I think a good way to ease traffic congestion is to stagger working hours and let people work from home.
21 November 2011
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority is studying how to manage train travel patterns and will make their ideas known soon.
Minister of State for Transport and Finance, Josephine Teo, gave this update in Parliament on Monday.
She said parallel buses have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy.
But commuters still prefer trains as taking buses may mean a longer travel time due to road conditions.
She added that the upcoming Downtown Line should ease travel loads when it opens. And changing travelling behaviour of commuters may need more work.
Mr Cedric Foo, the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, said: "Other than just supply-shaping, can we look into demand-shaping?
"In other words, how to further incentivise commuters to travel pre-peak hours through discount?
"Today, there's a 30-cent discount but can that be increased?"
Mrs Josephine Teo said: "Since the enhanced discount for pre-peak travel was introduced, the numbers are not completely in yet.
"But anecdotally, the shifting of behaviour has not been great.
"And it looks like more needs to be done to encourage people to travel earlier.
"The feedback that has been given is that often, our commuters value their sleep more than what they have to pay."
I will be keeping a look out for the study report. I hope it will not be another “this is it but we cannot do anything” report.
But end of the day I personally think the solution is not that difficult but rather do the government and the transport operators want to do it or not.
Firstly to ease peak hour crowd, the bus and train operator just have to increase the frequency of trains and buses to the max. E.g let say you have 20 stations on the East West line you just have to pack the maximum allowable trains that the infrastructure can take say about 20 trains, one for each station, running at the same time. I guess that squeeze in even more.
Josephine said commuters still prefer train over parallel buses that have been introduced along train lines where loading levels have been heavy. Try reducing the fare for these buses by 50% and I am sure more people will take the bus.
Frankly I don’t mind taking a longer time if I can get a seat and it is cheaper when I take the bus.
Cedric brought up a good point. 30 cents definitely is not an incentive for you to travel before peak hour, in fact what can you buy for 30 these days.
Try to give 50% discount off the fare and I am sure there will be more off-peak commuters.
Note for off-peak travel they are asking you to go to work early. How come they are not encouraging you to go to work later? The government is scheming for you to work longer hours.
In fact I think a good way to ease traffic congestion is to stagger working hours and let people work from home.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Yet another reminder of their greed.
They tried to do it quitely but here I am keeping it on record for yet anther fare increase for our public transport.
So folk you already paid more over the weekend.
Bloody blood suckers.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Smoke out by Lui.
Transport upgrading plans on track
Bus-stops islandwide to be expanded into 'bus hubs'; MRT network to reach more commuters
Oct 04, 2011
SINGAPORE - Besides getting commuters onto the train or the bus, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew is also looking at improving their journey to the station, while arming passengers with more timely and accurate information to decide on their commute.
Mr Lui revealed in a media interview that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is starting an internal trial this month to test out a commuter information system which would state "the condition of the bus" - whether the commuter can sit, can stand or must wait for the next bus. The trial is to last for three months.
Yesterday, the LTA announced it would be upgrading and expanding 35 major bus-stops islandwide into bus hubs. When completed by end 2013, the upgraded bus-stops will come with lengthened bus bays, expanded bus shelters, and real-time bus information panels.
These improvements will reduce the amount of time a bus has to spend at the bus-stop and, in turn, help shorten waiting times and improve journey times for commuters. About six in 10 of the 5.5 million public transport journeys made daily are on buses.
The Transport Minister, however, noted that trains currently remain the preferred mode of transport among commuters. Thus, plans are being finalised for additional lines and extensions beyond 2020 as part of the 2011 Concept Plan Review to improve the rail network and serve new areas.
These plans are beyond the S$20 billion invested in existing rail lines and the S$60 billion for new rail lines committed under the Land Transport Masterplan, unveiled in 2008.
The new rail lines under the masterplan include the Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line. Mr Lui said that the Thomson Line alignment is "almost done", but the Eastern Region Line is proving "more challenging" and "needs to be look at more carefully".
The minister, however, declined to disclose further details on the alignments, citing commercial sensitivities. But he added that new housing concentrations and new sub-regional centres will be factored in when planning the new rail lines.
Mr Lui revealed the Circle Line Extension from Promenade to Marina Bay will be opened in January.
With more rail lines being planned and built, the aim is to double the number of households that live within 400m or 600m of an MRT station. Currently, around 400,000 households live within 600m of an MRT station, while 200,000 households live within 400m.
Mr Lui is also aiming to improve pedestrian connectivity to transport nodes and to "make the walk a little more comfortable".
Thus, pedestrian connectivity to transport nodes will be enhanced, through the development of more sheltered walkways, underground pedestrian networks, and links to nearby buildings.
The fact is I do not see much improvement from the Transport Operators.
In fact I am already getting too tired to write in to complaints against them as these idiots are just greedy corporation that want to pay their CEOs millions at the expense of poor public transports users.
The solution to improve public transport system is simple but no body actually want to look at is seriously as it will affect bottom lines.
Firstly, just improve the frequency of trains and buses damned it!
Overcrowding is the main problem in this country with more the 5 millions resident.
Secondly, has dedicated bus lanes in all major roads to speed up buses.
Increasing train’s networks is a good idea too.
Commuter information system is crab if it keeps telling you the next 3 buses are full and too bad you can’t get on.
There is a lot we can do to improve public transports in Singapore but do identify the core problems and solve it.
Do not pacify the pubic by just having some cosmetic improvements.
This will cause the public to vote for a new Minster next time.
Bus-stops islandwide to be expanded into 'bus hubs'; MRT network to reach more commuters
Oct 04, 2011
SINGAPORE - Besides getting commuters onto the train or the bus, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew is also looking at improving their journey to the station, while arming passengers with more timely and accurate information to decide on their commute.
Mr Lui revealed in a media interview that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is starting an internal trial this month to test out a commuter information system which would state "the condition of the bus" - whether the commuter can sit, can stand or must wait for the next bus. The trial is to last for three months.
Yesterday, the LTA announced it would be upgrading and expanding 35 major bus-stops islandwide into bus hubs. When completed by end 2013, the upgraded bus-stops will come with lengthened bus bays, expanded bus shelters, and real-time bus information panels.
These improvements will reduce the amount of time a bus has to spend at the bus-stop and, in turn, help shorten waiting times and improve journey times for commuters. About six in 10 of the 5.5 million public transport journeys made daily are on buses.
The Transport Minister, however, noted that trains currently remain the preferred mode of transport among commuters. Thus, plans are being finalised for additional lines and extensions beyond 2020 as part of the 2011 Concept Plan Review to improve the rail network and serve new areas.
These plans are beyond the S$20 billion invested in existing rail lines and the S$60 billion for new rail lines committed under the Land Transport Masterplan, unveiled in 2008.
The new rail lines under the masterplan include the Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line. Mr Lui said that the Thomson Line alignment is "almost done", but the Eastern Region Line is proving "more challenging" and "needs to be look at more carefully".
The minister, however, declined to disclose further details on the alignments, citing commercial sensitivities. But he added that new housing concentrations and new sub-regional centres will be factored in when planning the new rail lines.
Mr Lui revealed the Circle Line Extension from Promenade to Marina Bay will be opened in January.
With more rail lines being planned and built, the aim is to double the number of households that live within 400m or 600m of an MRT station. Currently, around 400,000 households live within 600m of an MRT station, while 200,000 households live within 400m.
Mr Lui is also aiming to improve pedestrian connectivity to transport nodes and to "make the walk a little more comfortable".
Thus, pedestrian connectivity to transport nodes will be enhanced, through the development of more sheltered walkways, underground pedestrian networks, and links to nearby buildings.
The fact is I do not see much improvement from the Transport Operators.
In fact I am already getting too tired to write in to complaints against them as these idiots are just greedy corporation that want to pay their CEOs millions at the expense of poor public transports users.
The solution to improve public transport system is simple but no body actually want to look at is seriously as it will affect bottom lines.
Firstly, just improve the frequency of trains and buses damned it!
Overcrowding is the main problem in this country with more the 5 millions resident.
Secondly, has dedicated bus lanes in all major roads to speed up buses.
Increasing train’s networks is a good idea too.
Commuter information system is crab if it keeps telling you the next 3 buses are full and too bad you can’t get on.
There is a lot we can do to improve public transports in Singapore but do identify the core problems and solve it.
Do not pacify the pubic by just having some cosmetic improvements.
This will cause the public to vote for a new Minster next time.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Satisfaction for public transport had gone up. Yeah right!
Commuters more satisfied with public transport
Customer Satisfaction Index by SMU's Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) saw an increase of 5.3 points for buses and 3.7 points for the MRT.
Thu, Aug 11, 2011
A study by the Singapore Management University (SMU) has shown that communters here are more satisfied with public transport now, compare to a year ago.
Data from a Customer Satisfaction Index by the university's Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) saw an increase in customer satisfaction with public buses, from 61.1 points to 66.4 points.
Satisfaction with the MRT system also rose by 3.7 points to 67.8 points, reported the Straits Times.
ISES academic director Marcus Lee said the data showed that local residents feel they are getting more value out of their bus rides.
This could be due to the implementation of distance-based fares last year, as well as the addition of bus trips, he added.
This propaganda article is published to support the 1% fare hike in pubic transport.
ISES does not help by not reviewing the sample size nor what people did they sampled from.
As I have mentioned before. I can publish a paper using survey from just 3 people and if 2 out of 3 say the transport system is good the I already score a 60 points.
Moreover I can also more or less tweet the result by selecting the people to do my survey.
For example if I want to find out how good the PAP is and if I want to score a positive points, I will select grassroot leaders and high level civil servant to do my survey.
And if I want a negative result, I will select people from Aljunie and Hougang to do my survey.
So these surveys are useless.
And if you ask me on public transport satisfaction, I will give both the buses and MRT operators 1/100 each.
Customer Satisfaction Index by SMU's Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) saw an increase of 5.3 points for buses and 3.7 points for the MRT.
Thu, Aug 11, 2011
A study by the Singapore Management University (SMU) has shown that communters here are more satisfied with public transport now, compare to a year ago.
Data from a Customer Satisfaction Index by the university's Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) saw an increase in customer satisfaction with public buses, from 61.1 points to 66.4 points.
Satisfaction with the MRT system also rose by 3.7 points to 67.8 points, reported the Straits Times.
ISES academic director Marcus Lee said the data showed that local residents feel they are getting more value out of their bus rides.
This could be due to the implementation of distance-based fares last year, as well as the addition of bus trips, he added.
This propaganda article is published to support the 1% fare hike in pubic transport.
ISES does not help by not reviewing the sample size nor what people did they sampled from.
As I have mentioned before. I can publish a paper using survey from just 3 people and if 2 out of 3 say the transport system is good the I already score a 60 points.
Moreover I can also more or less tweet the result by selecting the people to do my survey.
For example if I want to find out how good the PAP is and if I want to score a positive points, I will select grassroot leaders and high level civil servant to do my survey.
And if I want a negative result, I will select people from Aljunie and Hougang to do my survey.
So these surveys are useless.
And if you ask me on public transport satisfaction, I will give both the buses and MRT operators 1/100 each.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sorry folks price has to go up else who paying my salary?
Government will improve bus, train service: PM Lee
By Zakir Hussain
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night pledged that the Government will improve the public transport service year by year, even as debate over a possible fare hike heats up.
The Government will also make sure that any fare hikes are reasonable, justifiable and not excessive, Mr Lee said at a National Day celebration in his Teck Ghee ward.
'From time to time, fare increases cannot be helped,' he said. But there are many schemes to help those in need, he added.
Members of the public are unhappy that transport operators are seeking a fare increase even though problems of over-crowding and long waiting times for buses and trains persist.
Last night, Mr Lee said: 'We will raise service standards and progressively improve them year by year... whether it's waiting times, crowding, frequency of the train services, particularly at peak hours, this is something which we will see to and improve.'
Another source of public unhappiness is that transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit want to raise fares in spite of earning good profits.
This guy never failed to amaze me by keeping scoring own goals.
Like many have expressed. The fare hikes in public transport is not reasonable and not justifiable as over the years the operators profits has been high and the service standard is going down south.
Cut the crap bout schemes helping the poor, the elderly can’t even get discounted fair during peak hour and are limited to a number of trips per day. And yes helping the poor 10% by charging more from the 90% equal more profit for you. Bloody blood suckers!
Also these comments have no value coming from this joker who may have never taken public transport in his life.
What he know about crowded trains, long waiting time and buses that are so packed that you cannot get on?
Of cause he has to side SMRT and SBS Transit. After all they are paying lots of money to the government in taxes and therefore sustained their million dollar salaries.
So the Elites here are screwing the Peasants for their own wealth.
Well guess this guys has 4 more years to screw us thanks to those idiots who voted for him.
By Zakir Hussain
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night pledged that the Government will improve the public transport service year by year, even as debate over a possible fare hike heats up.
The Government will also make sure that any fare hikes are reasonable, justifiable and not excessive, Mr Lee said at a National Day celebration in his Teck Ghee ward.
'From time to time, fare increases cannot be helped,' he said. But there are many schemes to help those in need, he added.
Members of the public are unhappy that transport operators are seeking a fare increase even though problems of over-crowding and long waiting times for buses and trains persist.
Last night, Mr Lee said: 'We will raise service standards and progressively improve them year by year... whether it's waiting times, crowding, frequency of the train services, particularly at peak hours, this is something which we will see to and improve.'
Another source of public unhappiness is that transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit want to raise fares in spite of earning good profits.
This guy never failed to amaze me by keeping scoring own goals.
Like many have expressed. The fare hikes in public transport is not reasonable and not justifiable as over the years the operators profits has been high and the service standard is going down south.
Cut the crap bout schemes helping the poor, the elderly can’t even get discounted fair during peak hour and are limited to a number of trips per day. And yes helping the poor 10% by charging more from the 90% equal more profit for you. Bloody blood suckers!
Also these comments have no value coming from this joker who may have never taken public transport in his life.
What he know about crowded trains, long waiting time and buses that are so packed that you cannot get on?
Of cause he has to side SMRT and SBS Transit. After all they are paying lots of money to the government in taxes and therefore sustained their million dollar salaries.
So the Elites here are screwing the Peasants for their own wealth.
Well guess this guys has 4 more years to screw us thanks to those idiots who voted for him.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Lui Tuck Yew talk for the sake of talking
New transport minister Lui Tuck Yew is digging his own grave towards the next general election.
He is talking rubbish and seem like Raymond Lim is going to have a majong kaki real soon.
Ordinary people like me can't even make sense out of what the hell is this million dollar scholar minister trying to say.
'Serious downsides' to WP suggestion
Transport Minister says taxpayers, even those who do not take public transport, may end up paying more
Jul 14, 2011
Singapore - The Workers' Party's (WP) suggestion to nationalise public transport "might seem like a very attractive idea" but it has "serious downsides" in reality, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said yesterday.
Chief among these "downsides" is that "commuters and taxpayers - yes, even those who don't take public transport - are likely to end up paying more, and possibly, for a poorer level of service over time", Mr Lui added.
This is only HIS opinion and yet again we see the PAP using scare tactics tell you that YOU WILL PAY MORE even before studying how to implement this proposal.
Mr Lui's remarks on his Facebook page came a day after the WP reiterated its call for a National Transport Corporation.
The Transport Minister pointed out that, an entity that depends on Government funding and which operates on a cost-recovery basis, "would have little incentive to keep costs down".
Why can’t it be done? Just put the right person as the CEO and I am sure he can run the company well as a cost-recovery basis. Note the two companies currently are earning $161M and $54M profit and this a very big buffer.
Said Mr Lui: "Cost increases will be passed on to commuters. Over time, this will lead to higher costs for the same level of service, which means commuters pay higher - and not lower - fares. Not only would people have to pay more, nationalising the operators could result in a stagnation of service quality or efficiency over time."
Who is asking you to run the pubic transport company at a lost? You just have to operate it with minimum profit. In fact we have nothing to lose as now we are paying higher fare and no service.
Stagnation of service quality? Like PAP you meant? Bullshit lah! If quality drop just sacked the joker running the company and replaced with someone who can do it. I am sure you have lots of talented scholar in the civil service.
On Monday, SBS Transit and SMRT applied for the maximum increase of 2.8-per-cent for bus and rail fares. Responding to media queries, the WP reiterated on Tuesday its proposed transport body would not be driven by profit but would operate on a cost-recovery basis.
Mr Lui noted yesterday that "the profit incentive" of commercial enterprises "spurs efficiency and productivity improvements".
Huh? Now this Lui is really talking rubbish. Efficiency and productivity are method to increase profit, he don’t even mention service quality which I find is the most important factor in a service orientated company. Please don’t treat the public transport provided like a factory and commuter are just products.
Yes currently there are efficiency and productivity from the operator view point. By filling the bus and train to maximum capacity! This definitely improve the companies productivities.
While some have argued that the public transport operators should not be making high profits, Mr Lui said Singaporeans should also "recognise that as public-listed companies, it is not unreasonable for the (operators) to earn fair returns from the sizeable capital investments required to sustain their operations and to invest in future public transport needs".
So that is why we need to delist these companies and nationalised it! Are you listening to WP proposal at all Ah Lui? Or are you arguing for the sake or arguing?
A Ministry of Transport (MOT) spokesperson added yesterday that experience elsewhere has shown that privately operated public transport systems bring about greater efficiency. The spokesperson said: "This is why many cities around the world, like Melbourne, Tokyo, Stockholm and Seoul, either have or are moving towards commercial enterprises providing public transport services."
I don’t know about the rest but I can vouch that the Train service in Seoul is both CHEAP and efficient so how come ours are expensive, overcrowded and inefficient even thought it is a privatised company?
Mr Lui reiterated that commuters' interests are "safeguarded": A "robust framework" is in place to regulate bus and rail service levels through service quality and operating performance standards so that public transport operators do not pursue profit at the expense of commuters. Also, the Public Transport Council (PTC) regulates fares based on a fare adjustment formula that takes into account macro-economic factors, namely the Consumer Price Index and average national wage increases.
If the 10% of the (Like the minister who never take pubic transport) salaries skyrocked, this will bring the national average wage up and if we use this to justify public transport fare increase then it is both stupid and dumb. I suggest you take the average salary of the bottom 50% of the national as a benchmark to decide whether to increase the fare my folk.
"The fare adjustment formula protects commuters by capping fare increases - (public transport operators) are not free to simply pass on their cost increases to commuters," Mr Lui added.
Yes there is capping at each increase only. There is no cap on how often they can apply to increase.
While SBS Transit and SMRT have asked for the maximum fare increase this year, Mr Lui noted there have been some years when the PTC approved fare increases that have been less than what the public transport operators proposed. "We should let the PTC deliberate on this properly and make its decision," he added.
Please remind us when was the last time fare was reviewed and reduced? And of cause PTC have to wayang a bit to proved their existence.
On Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairperson Cedric Foo's call to relook the fare adjustment formula, the MOT spokesperson noted the fare formula "is not meant to be static".
In 2008, for example, the revised formula factored in higher productivity gains. This revised formula is valid until next year. "The PTC will review the fare adjustment formula for subsequent years bearing in mind the interests of commuters as well as the long-term viability of the public transport operators," the MOT spokesperson added.
With the Government investing another S$60 billion in new rail lines by the end of the decade, Mr Lui reiterated the Government's commitment to invest heavily in the public transport infrastructure. "Government funding of public transport infrastructure is a key reason why public transport fares continue to be affordable," he added.
He is talking rubbish and seem like Raymond Lim is going to have a majong kaki real soon.
Ordinary people like me can't even make sense out of what the hell is this million dollar scholar minister trying to say.
'Serious downsides' to WP suggestion
Transport Minister says taxpayers, even those who do not take public transport, may end up paying more
Jul 14, 2011
Singapore - The Workers' Party's (WP) suggestion to nationalise public transport "might seem like a very attractive idea" but it has "serious downsides" in reality, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said yesterday.
Chief among these "downsides" is that "commuters and taxpayers - yes, even those who don't take public transport - are likely to end up paying more, and possibly, for a poorer level of service over time", Mr Lui added.
This is only HIS opinion and yet again we see the PAP using scare tactics tell you that YOU WILL PAY MORE even before studying how to implement this proposal.
Mr Lui's remarks on his Facebook page came a day after the WP reiterated its call for a National Transport Corporation.
The Transport Minister pointed out that, an entity that depends on Government funding and which operates on a cost-recovery basis, "would have little incentive to keep costs down".
Why can’t it be done? Just put the right person as the CEO and I am sure he can run the company well as a cost-recovery basis. Note the two companies currently are earning $161M and $54M profit and this a very big buffer.
Said Mr Lui: "Cost increases will be passed on to commuters. Over time, this will lead to higher costs for the same level of service, which means commuters pay higher - and not lower - fares. Not only would people have to pay more, nationalising the operators could result in a stagnation of service quality or efficiency over time."
Who is asking you to run the pubic transport company at a lost? You just have to operate it with minimum profit. In fact we have nothing to lose as now we are paying higher fare and no service.
Stagnation of service quality? Like PAP you meant? Bullshit lah! If quality drop just sacked the joker running the company and replaced with someone who can do it. I am sure you have lots of talented scholar in the civil service.
On Monday, SBS Transit and SMRT applied for the maximum increase of 2.8-per-cent for bus and rail fares. Responding to media queries, the WP reiterated on Tuesday its proposed transport body would not be driven by profit but would operate on a cost-recovery basis.
Mr Lui noted yesterday that "the profit incentive" of commercial enterprises "spurs efficiency and productivity improvements".
Huh? Now this Lui is really talking rubbish. Efficiency and productivity are method to increase profit, he don’t even mention service quality which I find is the most important factor in a service orientated company. Please don’t treat the public transport provided like a factory and commuter are just products.
Yes currently there are efficiency and productivity from the operator view point. By filling the bus and train to maximum capacity! This definitely improve the companies productivities.
While some have argued that the public transport operators should not be making high profits, Mr Lui said Singaporeans should also "recognise that as public-listed companies, it is not unreasonable for the (operators) to earn fair returns from the sizeable capital investments required to sustain their operations and to invest in future public transport needs".
So that is why we need to delist these companies and nationalised it! Are you listening to WP proposal at all Ah Lui? Or are you arguing for the sake or arguing?
A Ministry of Transport (MOT) spokesperson added yesterday that experience elsewhere has shown that privately operated public transport systems bring about greater efficiency. The spokesperson said: "This is why many cities around the world, like Melbourne, Tokyo, Stockholm and Seoul, either have or are moving towards commercial enterprises providing public transport services."
I don’t know about the rest but I can vouch that the Train service in Seoul is both CHEAP and efficient so how come ours are expensive, overcrowded and inefficient even thought it is a privatised company?
Mr Lui reiterated that commuters' interests are "safeguarded": A "robust framework" is in place to regulate bus and rail service levels through service quality and operating performance standards so that public transport operators do not pursue profit at the expense of commuters. Also, the Public Transport Council (PTC) regulates fares based on a fare adjustment formula that takes into account macro-economic factors, namely the Consumer Price Index and average national wage increases.
If the 10% of the (Like the minister who never take pubic transport) salaries skyrocked, this will bring the national average wage up and if we use this to justify public transport fare increase then it is both stupid and dumb. I suggest you take the average salary of the bottom 50% of the national as a benchmark to decide whether to increase the fare my folk.
"The fare adjustment formula protects commuters by capping fare increases - (public transport operators) are not free to simply pass on their cost increases to commuters," Mr Lui added.
Yes there is capping at each increase only. There is no cap on how often they can apply to increase.
While SBS Transit and SMRT have asked for the maximum fare increase this year, Mr Lui noted there have been some years when the PTC approved fare increases that have been less than what the public transport operators proposed. "We should let the PTC deliberate on this properly and make its decision," he added.
Please remind us when was the last time fare was reviewed and reduced? And of cause PTC have to wayang a bit to proved their existence.
On Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairperson Cedric Foo's call to relook the fare adjustment formula, the MOT spokesperson noted the fare formula "is not meant to be static".
In 2008, for example, the revised formula factored in higher productivity gains. This revised formula is valid until next year. "The PTC will review the fare adjustment formula for subsequent years bearing in mind the interests of commuters as well as the long-term viability of the public transport operators," the MOT spokesperson added.
With the Government investing another S$60 billion in new rail lines by the end of the decade, Mr Lui reiterated the Government's commitment to invest heavily in the public transport infrastructure. "Government funding of public transport infrastructure is a key reason why public transport fares continue to be affordable," he added.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The poor get poorer thank you SMRT and SBS
These people decide on your public transport fee.
Transport operators seek fare increases
GPC chairman to ask Transport Ministry to review fare adjustment formula
SINGAPORE - Public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT have applied for the maximum fare increase of 2.8 per cent for rail and bus fares, citing "uncontrollable" and "significant" cost pressures but a more fundamental review may be on the cards.
Beyond this year's exercise, Member of Parliament Cedric Foo, who took over as chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, has signalled his intention to engage the Transport Ministry to review the fare adjustment formula.
With public transport playing a bigger role in Singapore's land transport system, Mr Foo toldMediaCorp a review of the formula would be timely as it was drawn up in 2005. The fare adjustment formula was last reviewed in 2008.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) - which is responsible for regulating fares - said yesterday it would study and deliberate on both operators' applications and would inform the public of the outcome as soon as a decision is reached.
Commuters can expect some time to adjust to any fare changes, as it was said this year - once by the PTC in February and again by Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in June - that any consideration of fare increases should be done in relation with the opening of the Circle Line's final two stages in October.
SMRT executive vice-president for trains Khoo Hean Siang said yesterday that non-fare businesses from commercial activities - such as retail rentals and advertising - have contributed to productivity gains but they could not mitigate the "uncontrollable cost pressures due to fuel prices and manpower costs".
SMRT's energy cost increased 17.5 per cent for the year to March 31, due mainly to higher electricity and diesel prices as well as the expansion of rail network with the opening of the first two phases of the Circle Line.
The SMRT said a higher employer's CPF contribution rate contributed to higher manpower costs.
"In addition, more staff had to be hired due to the opening of Circle Line Phase 1 and 2, and to operate additional train and bus trips from various service enhancements efforts implemented to meet the rising commuting demand," the SMRT added.
Besides rising fuel and energy costs, SBS Transit said it "continues to face significant cost pressures despite increased efforts to lower costs and increase productivity".
In particular, SBS Transit cited its investments in new buses which began in 2006, with some 600 buses - bought at a cost of S$268 million - scheduled for delivery over this year and next year.
"In all, our 2,050 new buses are costing us some S$854 million," SBS Transit added. The company said more details of the application, which is subject to the approval of the PTC, will be announced at a later date.
The PTC's fare revision formula takes into account inflation, average wages and productivity of the operators to arrive at a cap to fare adjustments.
Mr Foo felt any review would need to look at two objectives - balancing an affordable public transport system with operators earning enough to invest in improving service.
"I would like to look at it holistically," he added. "We need to ask ourselves what has worked, what has not worked, how we may re-look at this formula and make it more relevant to its objectives."
Last year, overall fares were up 0.5 per cent. In 2009, the transport operators decided to reduce fares by 4.6 per cent because of the severe economic downturn, even though the formula allowed for a 5 per cent rise.
In 2008, fares rose 0.7 per cent. And in 2007, the council approved a 1.8-per-cent rise in bus fares but kept train fares unchanged.
SMRT's net profit dropped 1.1 per cent to S$161.1 million for the year to March 31 as staff, energy and operating costs rose.
Meanwhile, SBS Transit's net profit for the full year ending December 31 last year was S$54.3 million, down a marginal 0.6 per cent from the year before.
This is what you get when there is complete monopoly of the market. It’s the same for politic.
With “rising cost” as a reason both SMRT and Transit Link wanted to raise fare. Note last year both companies have a profit of $161.1miilons and $54.3million respectively.
So I guess the real reason for fare increment is to protect or increase this profit.
I have no confident in the Public Transport Council as well. The council are all made up of Elites, we have several professors and directors. How many of these people take public transport daily? So any fool will predict there will be an increase in fare and after this more increase in private bus fare too and then taxi maybe.
So folks welcome back to reality, Election is over and cost of living is going up and wages are coming down. To those who voted for PAP in the last election you have no right to complaint as for me I can still say #@!%$!$#@!%$!@$#.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Win Win for them and Lose Lose for You
Drop in public transport share in Singapore: survey
26 October 2009 1458 hrs (SST)
SINGAPORE: A transport survey in Singapore has shown that the public transport share has shrunk.
The survey of some 10,500 households revealed that despite efforts by the authorities to get more people on buses and trains, challenges still remain.
Singapore aims to boost the usage of public transport among its population to 70 per cent by 2020. But the Household Interview Travel Survey showed that the target is now harder to achieve.
The survey found that 59 per cent of respondents used public transport last year, down from 63 per cent in 2004.
During the same period, the number of daily public transport journeys went up by 16 per cent as Singapore's population grew. The number of car journeys increased by 31 per cent as the car population also grew.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) explained that this behaviour could be due to a lack of major infrastructural improvements in public transport during that period.
Speaking at the Second World Roads Conference on Monday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said that there are some positive signs.
He said: "Between 2004 and 2008, the number of train trips made each day rose 30 per cent, from 1.3 million to 1.7 million. Even though the public transport mode share island-wide has fallen, the mode share in the North-East corridor, served by the Northeast Line (NEL) which opened in 2003, has bucked the trend and shown significant improvement."
LTA said it will continue to make bus services more efficient and will be expanding the Mandatory Give-Way to Buses scheme in the next two years.
LTA said the expansion of normal bus lanes and full-day bus lanes have already improved bus speeds for services using the routes by between eight per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
From next year, LTA will also take over as the Bus Network Planner to further improve the overall connectivity of the bus network here.
An expert said reliability is key when convincing people to use public transport.
Professor Brian Collins, chief scientific advisor from UK's Department of Transport, said: "Making buses punctual, making trains punctual, and making them more frequent - refining that predictability of travel time is one of the issues that people really like. They will like to know when they are going to arrive, arrive safely and in comfort."
LTA said it will push through two key strategies under its Masterplan to make public transport more convenient. The strategies are to reduce the growth of vehicles on the road and double the existing rail network by 2020.
For now, the introduction of Electronic Road Pricing to more roads last year has improved the traffic conditions of affected roads.
LTA said there has been marked improvement in traffic speeds within the CBD, especially during evening peak hours. Traffic speeds there have been restored to the optimal range of 20-30 kilometres per hour, from 18 kilometres per hour previously.
Our Gahment is just ignoring the root cause and just want to make money. Period!
To ease traffic and to boost public transport rider-ship, they go for the simplest and best solution for themselves – RAISE THE ERP COST. Mind you, next they will raise the parking fee then the COE and then the road tax…. Win – win for them and too bad for you.
It’s easy to encourage public transport usage, just like Professor Brian Said, you just have to HAVE A EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
More frequent buses and train, more punctual trains and I bet if you slash the fare by 50% your rider-ship will shoot up immediately.
I will suggest doing away with those bloody surcharges on taxi as well. Taxi driver here in Singapore are just too spoilt. I think we are the only countries in the world with such a complex taxi fares structure and ironically I feel our taxi services are one of the worst.
I also question the survey accuracy. Out of the 10000 households interviewed, how many are Foreigner? I doubt so as they most probably are renting room or stay in hostel. You may say less Singaporean are taking pubic transports but I can assure you that trains and buses are packed these days due to new immigrants and FT. Rider-ship is no where low my friend.
And did they question WHY less people are taking public transport now?
I can tell you, the only reason why will I consider getting my own ride is: THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM SUCKS.
1) Overcrowded
2) Expensive (Not value for money to be more correct)
3) Erratic timing
4) Long waiting time.
5) Stupid people eats and blast their f**K phone in there.
26 October 2009 1458 hrs (SST)
SINGAPORE: A transport survey in Singapore has shown that the public transport share has shrunk.
The survey of some 10,500 households revealed that despite efforts by the authorities to get more people on buses and trains, challenges still remain.
Singapore aims to boost the usage of public transport among its population to 70 per cent by 2020. But the Household Interview Travel Survey showed that the target is now harder to achieve.
The survey found that 59 per cent of respondents used public transport last year, down from 63 per cent in 2004.
During the same period, the number of daily public transport journeys went up by 16 per cent as Singapore's population grew. The number of car journeys increased by 31 per cent as the car population also grew.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) explained that this behaviour could be due to a lack of major infrastructural improvements in public transport during that period.
Speaking at the Second World Roads Conference on Monday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said that there are some positive signs.
He said: "Between 2004 and 2008, the number of train trips made each day rose 30 per cent, from 1.3 million to 1.7 million. Even though the public transport mode share island-wide has fallen, the mode share in the North-East corridor, served by the Northeast Line (NEL) which opened in 2003, has bucked the trend and shown significant improvement."
LTA said it will continue to make bus services more efficient and will be expanding the Mandatory Give-Way to Buses scheme in the next two years.
LTA said the expansion of normal bus lanes and full-day bus lanes have already improved bus speeds for services using the routes by between eight per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
From next year, LTA will also take over as the Bus Network Planner to further improve the overall connectivity of the bus network here.
An expert said reliability is key when convincing people to use public transport.
Professor Brian Collins, chief scientific advisor from UK's Department of Transport, said: "Making buses punctual, making trains punctual, and making them more frequent - refining that predictability of travel time is one of the issues that people really like. They will like to know when they are going to arrive, arrive safely and in comfort."
LTA said it will push through two key strategies under its Masterplan to make public transport more convenient. The strategies are to reduce the growth of vehicles on the road and double the existing rail network by 2020.
For now, the introduction of Electronic Road Pricing to more roads last year has improved the traffic conditions of affected roads.
LTA said there has been marked improvement in traffic speeds within the CBD, especially during evening peak hours. Traffic speeds there have been restored to the optimal range of 20-30 kilometres per hour, from 18 kilometres per hour previously.
Our Gahment is just ignoring the root cause and just want to make money. Period!
To ease traffic and to boost public transport rider-ship, they go for the simplest and best solution for themselves – RAISE THE ERP COST. Mind you, next they will raise the parking fee then the COE and then the road tax…. Win – win for them and too bad for you.
It’s easy to encourage public transport usage, just like Professor Brian Said, you just have to HAVE A EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
More frequent buses and train, more punctual trains and I bet if you slash the fare by 50% your rider-ship will shoot up immediately.
I will suggest doing away with those bloody surcharges on taxi as well. Taxi driver here in Singapore are just too spoilt. I think we are the only countries in the world with such a complex taxi fares structure and ironically I feel our taxi services are one of the worst.
I also question the survey accuracy. Out of the 10000 households interviewed, how many are Foreigner? I doubt so as they most probably are renting room or stay in hostel. You may say less Singaporean are taking pubic transports but I can assure you that trains and buses are packed these days due to new immigrants and FT. Rider-ship is no where low my friend.
And did they question WHY less people are taking public transport now?
I can tell you, the only reason why will I consider getting my own ride is: THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM SUCKS.
1) Overcrowded
2) Expensive (Not value for money to be more correct)
3) Erratic timing
4) Long waiting time.
5) Stupid people eats and blast their f**K phone in there.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Gusiness book of record of dumbness!
SMRT's train frequency to be reduced if flu alert hits red
04 May 2009 2123 hrs
SINGAPORE: SMRT said train frequency will be reduced by 30 per cent once Singapore's pandemic alert level hits red.
This is because its service staff are divided into two teams to prevent the potential spread of the H1N1 virus.
SMRT has increased its cleanliness vigilance level in trains and buses by more than three times ever since the Health Ministry raised the flu alert to orange.
Public areas are cleaned once every two hours and temperatures of SMRT officers are checked twice daily. There is also a quarantine room for passengers who display flu symptoms.
Ventilation within the trains has been increased, while windows and doors of buses parked at interchanges will remain open. Temperature of bus captains are also being checked at bus interchanges.
I almost puked out my dinner when I first saw this on TV last night.
I know SMRT is stupid but I didn’t know how dumb they are now until this announcement. GOSH somebody nominate them for the Guinness book of record please!
How can reducing train frequency prevent the spread of the virus? Reducing train frequency will only discourage people from using the SMRT so these people may chose alternate mode of transport and this may be the only reason it will help stop the spreading of the virus.
Put it this way. If 1000 people need to get from Bedok to City Hall station between 9am – 10am and they boarded 10 trains, if you reduce the train frequency, the only result is that these 1000 people will pack into 7 trains instead.
Now suppose Person A is a H1N1 virus carrier, he will infect 100 people in the current scenario, let say our “Clever” SMRT reduced the train frequency by 30%, which imply, that now each train carry 143 people instead of 100 and there fore Person A infect 43 more people.
The root cause of these is SMRT is not willing to increase manpower to help the spread of the virus. If the alert level reaches red, they could just stop all unessential work and get their staff in the back end to help the service staff. GOSH what a stupid organization, no wonder our world-class transport system is in such disarray.
04 May 2009 2123 hrs
SINGAPORE: SMRT said train frequency will be reduced by 30 per cent once Singapore's pandemic alert level hits red.
This is because its service staff are divided into two teams to prevent the potential spread of the H1N1 virus.
SMRT has increased its cleanliness vigilance level in trains and buses by more than three times ever since the Health Ministry raised the flu alert to orange.
Public areas are cleaned once every two hours and temperatures of SMRT officers are checked twice daily. There is also a quarantine room for passengers who display flu symptoms.
Ventilation within the trains has been increased, while windows and doors of buses parked at interchanges will remain open. Temperature of bus captains are also being checked at bus interchanges.
I almost puked out my dinner when I first saw this on TV last night.
I know SMRT is stupid but I didn’t know how dumb they are now until this announcement. GOSH somebody nominate them for the Guinness book of record please!
How can reducing train frequency prevent the spread of the virus? Reducing train frequency will only discourage people from using the SMRT so these people may chose alternate mode of transport and this may be the only reason it will help stop the spreading of the virus.
Put it this way. If 1000 people need to get from Bedok to City Hall station between 9am – 10am and they boarded 10 trains, if you reduce the train frequency, the only result is that these 1000 people will pack into 7 trains instead.
Now suppose Person A is a H1N1 virus carrier, he will infect 100 people in the current scenario, let say our “Clever” SMRT reduced the train frequency by 30%, which imply, that now each train carry 143 people instead of 100 and there fore Person A infect 43 more people.
The root cause of these is SMRT is not willing to increase manpower to help the spread of the virus. If the alert level reaches red, they could just stop all unessential work and get their staff in the back end to help the service staff. GOSH what a stupid organization, no wonder our world-class transport system is in such disarray.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
World Class Transport my ass!
I usually check the SBS Iris next bus system before I go to the bus stop at the end of the day.
Check out the 2nd bus arrival time during evening peak hour at about 5.35pm!
Either the system is faulty (screw up) or the bloody work class transport company really need to review their profit margin.
For God’s sake 44min – 6min = 38min for a bus to come is totally crap!
Does this justify for their annual fare increase? You say for youself.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
White Elephant
CCTV could cut taxi wait
By Christopher Tan
Oct 23, 2008
STUCK in a taxi queue that is hardly moving?
Relief may come soon from a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at taxi stands feeding 'live' images back to cab despatch centres, which can direct cabbies to where fares are waiting.
Home-grown information technology company Stratech Systems is devising such a system in response to a call by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for industries to design innovative business solutions.
It is disbursing $12 million for 15 such innovations, among which is Stratech's 'Dynamic Vehicle Allocation System'.
Stratech executive chairman David Chew said the system, which he claimed will be a world first, will be installed at 50 taxi stands, mostly in the Central Business District, for a start.
It should be ready for trial in nine months. He said of the current problem: 'Taxis may be waiting at a vacant stand while commuters queue in vain elsewhere.'
More than just feeding images of taxi queues back to taxi operators, he said, Stratech's system would be smart enough to adjust to changes in the numbers of waiting commuters and cabs arriving.
'Today's taxi despatch systems are dumb,' said the Stratech chief, who has begun talking to the taxi operators.
Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro Corp, Singapore's largest cab company, said: 'We believe a taxi queue monitoring system will help our drivers pinpoint areas where there is higher demand and have in fact been exploring such a system ourselves.'
She added ComfortDelGro was 'encouraged' by the MDA's support of such an initiative and would seek to work with it on its development.
SMRT Taxis' senior manager of customer relations Eunice Lui said initiatives that will enhance taxi services for customers are welcome.
Industry observers, however, said they did not see anything compelling about the system.
Property firm executive H. Y. Loh, a 51-year-old regular cab commuter, is sceptical. She said the system would work in bad times, 'when cabbies going to taxi stands are at least assured of business'. But she is less sure it will work when good times return, because more people will be taking cabs then.
Cab companies may also not back Stratech's system fully, since doing so will hit their call-booking revenue. After all, commuters in taxi queues often resort to phoning for a cab, said Ms Loh.
But Mr Chew said that if Stratech's system works, 'it will ensure a continuous flow of taxis'.
For God’s Sake, can’t they see this is yet another White Elephant.
Firstly – The Cab will only appear when there are Surcharges. Extra bucks to be earned.
Secondly – I thought all cab in Singapore are being installed with some super duper GPS system? Isn’t this good enough to pin point where are all the cabs? Is it necessary to spend $12millions to install 15 of this junk? Who is going to pay for it anyway? Another reason to add more surchages?
This system is not solving the root cause of the problem. Say taxi stand A has no taxi and the queue is really long. So how will this $12M system help with the main problem, which is shortage of taxi at stand A? Absolutely nothing! It only confirmed there is a long queue at Stand A.
Taxi who are at Stand A picking up Passengers most likely has already called their buddies that there are a shortage of cab anyway. Or if they are kind enough they may had also call their dispatch centers.
Come on lah. No need to spend $12Millions on such White Elephant. Use the money to help the poor instead.
By Christopher Tan
Oct 23, 2008
STUCK in a taxi queue that is hardly moving?
Relief may come soon from a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at taxi stands feeding 'live' images back to cab despatch centres, which can direct cabbies to where fares are waiting.
Home-grown information technology company Stratech Systems is devising such a system in response to a call by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for industries to design innovative business solutions.
It is disbursing $12 million for 15 such innovations, among which is Stratech's 'Dynamic Vehicle Allocation System'.
Stratech executive chairman David Chew said the system, which he claimed will be a world first, will be installed at 50 taxi stands, mostly in the Central Business District, for a start.
It should be ready for trial in nine months. He said of the current problem: 'Taxis may be waiting at a vacant stand while commuters queue in vain elsewhere.'
More than just feeding images of taxi queues back to taxi operators, he said, Stratech's system would be smart enough to adjust to changes in the numbers of waiting commuters and cabs arriving.
'Today's taxi despatch systems are dumb,' said the Stratech chief, who has begun talking to the taxi operators.
Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro Corp, Singapore's largest cab company, said: 'We believe a taxi queue monitoring system will help our drivers pinpoint areas where there is higher demand and have in fact been exploring such a system ourselves.'
She added ComfortDelGro was 'encouraged' by the MDA's support of such an initiative and would seek to work with it on its development.
SMRT Taxis' senior manager of customer relations Eunice Lui said initiatives that will enhance taxi services for customers are welcome.
Industry observers, however, said they did not see anything compelling about the system.
Property firm executive H. Y. Loh, a 51-year-old regular cab commuter, is sceptical. She said the system would work in bad times, 'when cabbies going to taxi stands are at least assured of business'. But she is less sure it will work when good times return, because more people will be taking cabs then.
Cab companies may also not back Stratech's system fully, since doing so will hit their call-booking revenue. After all, commuters in taxi queues often resort to phoning for a cab, said Ms Loh.
But Mr Chew said that if Stratech's system works, 'it will ensure a continuous flow of taxis'.
For God’s Sake, can’t they see this is yet another White Elephant.
Firstly – The Cab will only appear when there are Surcharges. Extra bucks to be earned.
Secondly – I thought all cab in Singapore are being installed with some super duper GPS system? Isn’t this good enough to pin point where are all the cabs? Is it necessary to spend $12millions to install 15 of this junk? Who is going to pay for it anyway? Another reason to add more surchages?
This system is not solving the root cause of the problem. Say taxi stand A has no taxi and the queue is really long. So how will this $12M system help with the main problem, which is shortage of taxi at stand A? Absolutely nothing! It only confirmed there is a long queue at Stand A.
Taxi who are at Stand A picking up Passengers most likely has already called their buddies that there are a shortage of cab anyway. Or if they are kind enough they may had also call their dispatch centers.
Come on lah. No need to spend $12Millions on such White Elephant. Use the money to help the poor instead.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Reminder Again
Just putting up this post to remind myself how shitty the Public Transport are in Singapore. Remeber what happen in 01 Oct 2007?
Friday, September 12, 2008
Life in Singapore
Why the muddy path to the MRT?
Today Online Friday • September 12, 2008
Letter from M Lukshumayeh:
While we could arguably claim to have in Singapore, one of the best public transportation systems in the world, we are still some way off in providing proper access to some of these facilities. Commuters using Jurong East MRT Station, heading to or from the International Business Park, do not have a cemented path to use. On rainy days, commuters have to make do with a muddy footpath.
The answer is simple.
Because none of our ministers take the MRT to work.
Today Online Friday • September 12, 2008
Letter from M Lukshumayeh:
While we could arguably claim to have in Singapore, one of the best public transportation systems in the world, we are still some way off in providing proper access to some of these facilities. Commuters using Jurong East MRT Station, heading to or from the International Business Park, do not have a cemented path to use. On rainy days, commuters have to make do with a muddy footpath.
The answer is simple.
Because none of our ministers take the MRT to work.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
A example of dumb solution.
Easing the train crush :First parallel bus service to run from Monday, but commuters say trains may still be faster
Tuesday • July 1, 2008
Leong Wee Keat
COMMUTERS living in the north will have another travel option heading to work or home starting Monday, even as Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) changes kick in.
Service 128, a new basic bus service :operated by SBS Transit, will ply between Ang Mo Kio Depot and Shenton Way Terminal — the first bus allowed to run alongside sections of mature rail lines with heavy passenger loading, and where there is limited scope to quickly expand rail capacity during peak periods.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had previously not allowed this, as it was deemed a wasteful duplication of resources.
This new service will cover 13 MRT stations along the North-South and East-West lines and will stop at selected bus stops between stations en route.
SBS Transit spokeswoman Tammy Tan said each trip is expected to take about 74 minutes from end to end, barring poor traffic conditions.
Commuters that Today spoke to welcomed the option, but some voiced concerns over reliability and speed.
Bank administrative officer Chua Kim Choo noted that her premium bus often got caught in slow traffic as it travelled from Yishun to the city. She wondered if it would be the same for the new service.
A check of the route found that a stretch of Bishan Road, for example, was not covered under the bus lane scheme. However, as Service 128 reaches Thomson Road and beyond, it should be accorded priority, as those roads are mostly covered under the scheme.
Some commuters also suggested extending the service to areas in Yishun, while introducing new ones along the East-West Line, such as from Bedok to the city.
But lawyer Tan Hee Joek said he would stick to the trains, even if it meant not being able to get into one initially, or squeezing with others during the morning crush.
“Even if I miss one or two trains due to overcrowding, I am still guaranteed a faster ride to the office,” he said.
The LTA said “more such services would be implemented along other heavily-loaded sections of mature rail lines in future, if conditions required it”.
The introduction of Service 128, along with the 76 premium buses in operation, provides commuters with more choices, including motorists switching to public transport.
From Monday, motorists will also generally pay more at 32 gantries in the Central Business District cordon at various times of the day.
While noting recent public transport improvements, motorist Murray Lim said he is not ready to give up his car yet. “I’m in sales and I often need to run around with my goods, which can be quite heavy,” he said.
This rather a ridiculous method of “expand rail capacity during peak hour”.
I guess this is what they want you to believe.
Isn’t it easier to “ease train capacity” just by increasing the frequency of the trains?
I sense that the real purpose is to reduce the number of cars on CTE during peak hour and for God’s sake can’t they just be honest about it?
And as what LTA said, “..provides commuters with more choices, including motorists switching to public transport. “ Which in turn makes the train and buses more crowded.
This is not a very good solution to “expand rail capacity.”
The Elite drive and the peasent take take crowded public transports.
Tuesday • July 1, 2008
Leong Wee Keat
COMMUTERS living in the north will have another travel option heading to work or home starting Monday, even as Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) changes kick in.
Service 128, a new basic bus service :operated by SBS Transit, will ply between Ang Mo Kio Depot and Shenton Way Terminal — the first bus allowed to run alongside sections of mature rail lines with heavy passenger loading, and where there is limited scope to quickly expand rail capacity during peak periods.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had previously not allowed this, as it was deemed a wasteful duplication of resources.
This new service will cover 13 MRT stations along the North-South and East-West lines and will stop at selected bus stops between stations en route.
SBS Transit spokeswoman Tammy Tan said each trip is expected to take about 74 minutes from end to end, barring poor traffic conditions.
Commuters that Today spoke to welcomed the option, but some voiced concerns over reliability and speed.
Bank administrative officer Chua Kim Choo noted that her premium bus often got caught in slow traffic as it travelled from Yishun to the city. She wondered if it would be the same for the new service.
A check of the route found that a stretch of Bishan Road, for example, was not covered under the bus lane scheme. However, as Service 128 reaches Thomson Road and beyond, it should be accorded priority, as those roads are mostly covered under the scheme.
Some commuters also suggested extending the service to areas in Yishun, while introducing new ones along the East-West Line, such as from Bedok to the city.
But lawyer Tan Hee Joek said he would stick to the trains, even if it meant not being able to get into one initially, or squeezing with others during the morning crush.
“Even if I miss one or two trains due to overcrowding, I am still guaranteed a faster ride to the office,” he said.
The LTA said “more such services would be implemented along other heavily-loaded sections of mature rail lines in future, if conditions required it”.
The introduction of Service 128, along with the 76 premium buses in operation, provides commuters with more choices, including motorists switching to public transport.
From Monday, motorists will also generally pay more at 32 gantries in the Central Business District cordon at various times of the day.
While noting recent public transport improvements, motorist Murray Lim said he is not ready to give up his car yet. “I’m in sales and I often need to run around with my goods, which can be quite heavy,” he said.
This rather a ridiculous method of “expand rail capacity during peak hour”.
I guess this is what they want you to believe.
Isn’t it easier to “ease train capacity” just by increasing the frequency of the trains?
I sense that the real purpose is to reduce the number of cars on CTE during peak hour and for God’s sake can’t they just be honest about it?
And as what LTA said, “..provides commuters with more choices, including motorists switching to public transport. “ Which in turn makes the train and buses more crowded.
This is not a very good solution to “expand rail capacity.”
The Elite drive and the peasent take take crowded public transports.
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