extracted from the straits times forum.
Empower public to act against fare cheats
HAVING followed the recent news reports on measures to be taken
against fare cheats, my sense of civic-consciousness was heightened
when I encountered one on my way home from work recently on Tibs
bus service 608.
I was seated near the exit and saw a man board the bus along Marine
Parade Road.
Before long, he tapped his ez-link card at Siglap, as a passenger
was alighting.
However, he remained seated and was clearly not getting off. My
eyes caught his but he ignored me after giving me a quick
glance.
As the bus pulled into the interchange, he prepared to make a quick
exit.
I decided it was then or never, and stood up to him, commenting
that he had tapped his card way too early and could be fined for
cheating.
He gave me a shove and retorted that he often forgot to tap his
card and thus did so early.
I was a little stunned by his response and wanted to report the
incident to the bus driver, who was a distance away and oblivious
to what was happening.
The passengers around me were busy alighting and only one or two
stood around us, impatient to get past the commotion.
In order not to draw more attention to himself, the fare cheat got
off the bus and walked away, much to my dismay.
The point of highlighting this little episode is to pose this
question: Instead of waiting for public transport officials to take
action in such instances (if they happen to be around in the first
place), are there ways for members of the public to come forward
and play a bigger role in clamping down on fare cheats?
If people are not empowered to help implement some of these
measures, even with stiffer penalties, these measures will just be
all bark and no bite.
Tham Sui Pin (Ms)