Bus, taxi fare cheats could end up in jail

last SG · 2005-09-20T21:00:21+00:00

Somehow that sounded satirical. I laughed.

sbst275 SG

By right, you can claim when you go top up fare card... Provided it is 2 days within

Anyway, they have exploited the situation. Because they know many ppl wun bother the register number of the bus and then the name of bus stop they boarded and alighted

dragg SG

i extracted this from the straits times forum.

No need for competition between SBS and SMRT

I refer to the article 'It's a wish - one company running buses and trains' (ST Oct 11). I agree with Mr Gerard Ee that we should have 'one public transport company running the trains and one running the buses'.

In the first place, Singapore Bus Service has been in charge of bus services while Singapore Mass Rapid Transit is in charge of the MRT system. This was so until the appearance of Trans Island Bus Service.

Despite this, there is not much of a difference between TIBS and SBS besides the fact that one has bendy buses while the other has double-decker buses.

The competition between both companies was virtually not felt from the passenger's point of view. The fact that TIBS is now known as SMRT does not seem to change anything other than the exterior design of the buses and the bus drivers' uniform.

The apparent purpose of having two bus companies in the first place is to provide competition.

However, the fares are fixed and both bus companies run different routes, which defeat the purpose of having two bus companies as no competition seems to be present in such a situation.

Secondly, SBS Transit succeeded in taking control of the NorthEast train line. In response to this, SMRT merged with TIBS to get a hold on the bus services.

There seems to be a problem here. I see no reason why a bus company should want a stake in a train line. No wonder the train company retaliated by getting a stake in bus services.

I feel we should let SMRT and SBS have a mutual agreement to let each other get back what they rightfully should operate, the MRT system and the bus services respectively.

Chong Woon Hian

sbst275 SG

Based on that ST forum, actually it was misunderstood

It was already clearly stated that the loser for the NEL bid back in 1990's would merge with SMRT...

The more unexpected was DelGro's merger with Comfort

dragg SG

i extracted this from the straits times forum.

SBS driver drove off instead of helping old man to board bus.

I was at the Clementi bus interchange on Oct 12 when I was utterly disgusted by what I saw.

Standing in another queue next to mine was an elderly man waiting for SBS bus service 196. At 9.15pm, bus 196 approached the boarding platform.

As the people in front of the elderly man boarded the bus, he moved slowly forward for his turn.

When he realised that the distance between the bus and the platform was too far for him to climb aboard, he signalled to the bus driver to move the vehicle closer.

Instead of helping him get into the bus, the driver shut the door and drove off.

The old man and the rest of the waiting commuters were stunned and bewildered by this act. I was totally outraged.

How can the driver penalise a 'less-mobile' commuter like the elderly man? Shouldn't our public transport providers be carrying the message of promoting a service culture, which the government wants to foster.

I was very disappointed that the bus driver did not bother to help the commuter. Is this called 'providing a better service' to the general public as claimed by SBS Transit Ltd when its bus driver didn't even have the basic notion that he is providing a service?

SBS should look at itself especially the frontline staff on how to provide customer satisfaction in realising the call to promote better service.

I can live without fancy bus terminals and would rather have the authorities and bus companies place more emphasis on making travelling more elderly-friendly.

Ang Sock Hiang (Ms)

iveco SG

Chong Woon Hian should get his facts right. Tibs Holdings was set up in 1983, well before the MRTC (predecessor of SMRT) came into being.

And I still think it was a mistake to tender out the running of new subway lines.

sbst275 SG

This one, it has been debated for long

Actually, the fault lies with bus co.. They never give extra time for drivers if such things occurs

macjoe SG

Apparently, the transport minister forgot all about his primary role, ie to serve the people first, not listed profitable transport companies.

Won't be surprised he gets kicked out in elections.

Idea

sbst275 SG

Why ppl argue with this only now? It should have been back 27 yrs ago

dragg SG

i extracted this from the straits times forum.

Is there need for jail term, huge fines to deal with fare cheats?

I refer to the numerous articles in The Straits Times on Oct 18 on the penalties - a maximum six-month jail term and $2,000 fine - for repeat offenders for public transport fare cheats.

I am not against penalising those who cheat. I believe our society does not condone it and they should be punished. But it has to be fair with an appropriate penalty for the offence committed (ie small fines for small offences).

Is there a need to mete out jail terms and huge fines?

Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said the maximum penalties were for 'very very drastic fare evasion' and they acted as a deterrent.

While no specific examples of drastic fare evasions were given, one would imagine that big time cheats are those who create fake Ez-link cards and tamper with the smart chip to create fake values.

Are the existing laws and regulations insufficient to handle such extreme cases? If they are, why duplicate work.

In penalising the cheating commuter, perhaps we should also look at the transport providers.

The transport companies rolled out the Ez-link system when there were still technical bugs, resulting in commuters having to pay more than they should.

This additional income covers the losses which the transport companies suffer on account cheating, but it is not revenue rightfully earned by them. Is it considered 'cheating' to keep what is not rightfully yours? What's the official view on this?

What is the total amount that has been collected todate as a result of Ez-link hitches? Would it be appropriate to donate the money to charities instead?

The Ez-link glitches have persisted even though they are on a much smaller scale now, and the transport companies have yet to be penalised for them.

Shouldn't there be penalties when transport companies do not resolve this long-outstanding problem in their system?

If train operators are penalised for ineffective gantries which close on commuters and for the breakdown of trains, why not Ez-link glitches? How about fines and jail terms for them as well?

Despite the fare hikes, I noticed that the frequency of trains during off-peak hours have dropped. Waiting times can be eight to 10 minutes compared to five or six minutes previously.

Fares on feeder services, for example, have doubled from a decade ago while wages have not.

Commuters are definitely more discerning now. The Public Transport Council only regulates bus services and public transport fares.

It will not fight for the early opening of Buangkok MRT station or question the operators when they are slow in installing proper surveillance cameras on the platforms.

Commuters will have to fight for their own interests.

Greg Ting Wee Liang

dragg SG

i extracted this from the straits times forum.

How about fines for bus companies when they overcharge?

I refer to The Straits Times article 'Heavier penalties for fare cheats from next year' on Oct 18.

Most prominently, there has been no explanation on the $9 million loss by the transport companies.

The public has already accommodated the request to switch over to Ez-link so that there can be better monitoring on the payment of fares. The Ez-link system has been tolerated by the public despite its many glitches.

As an open-minded Singaporean, I would give the transport companies the benefit of the doubt and consider the $9 million loss as accurate.

After all, the companies are in a business and it would not be fair to ask them to give in to cheats and compromise their profits and bonuses.

However, while we have implemented laws to fine fare cheats, I think it is only fair that the public gets justice when the bus companies deduct more than the right fares from commuters.

A commuter now has to go through tedious stages just to get a small refund from the transport company when such an error is made. Thus many people do not bother to retrieve the small amount.

May I enquire:

1) Can SBS Transit and SMRT perform random checks to see how much they have profited from the errors and how much the commuters have lost?

2) To ensure high quality service and make sure that errors are kept to a minimum, can we also fine the bus companies $20 or $50 every time an error in deduction of fares is made?

Let's agree that we have a problem and we should try to solve it.

Lim Wei Yi

oxford mushroom SG

Fines for public transport cheats and now fines for road tax cheats....but what about LTA and the public transport companies? With the reported cases of overcharging being just the tip of the iceberg, they are the greatest cheats of all.

If only I have a chance to vote at the next election to let them know what I think of them....sigh...unfortunately, no chance to vote for me.

sbst275 SG

If you look at the 'cheating' cases, if we were to talk abt average value, those that makan the bus, ate them more

But if you are talking abt number of passengers involved, more are overcharged

I would rather put it this way, the best is to look at the service guide and make sure the fare stage is correct when you board and alight esp those borderline cases

drawer SG

The bus driver no need to go to jail,but the CEO's of the bus company n the PAP ministers should go to jail if the EZ-link card overcharged,becoz it is them who introduce this stupid system!!!!

siginah SG

I suggest doing something more than just voicing feedback in this forum.

Buy ComfortDelgro and SMRT shares. They pay pretty good dividends, so you can get back some money from them. Then you also don't have to bother about being overcharged by 20 cents once in a while.

As a shareholder, you will also be entitled to attend their AGMs and can then go ask the management some questions. :-)

I got pretty fedup with the decline of SMRT train frequencies which started in 2004, as my evening commute home got more and more crowded and the waits got longer. So I bought their shares.

siginah

iveco SG

As a shareholder of ComfortDelGro, you can apply for shareholder’s passes that let you ride free on buses. However, SMRT doesn’t have any similar scheme for its stake holders.

sbst275 SG

No more new passes given liao

redstone SG

It's one-sided and unfair.

Okay, you wanna be fair?

Jail, fine passengers?
Yes, BUT only if this new law is implemended:

Chairpersons or CEOs of transport companies who repeatedly overcharge passengers would be jailed and fined.

How 'bout THAT? Laughing

iveco SG

Instead of jailing bus fare cheats and executives of operators that overcharge, make them do community service instead, since their crimes did not hurt other people or undermine social stability. Do away with capital punishment and let the jails be the exclusive resort for rapists, murderers and drug traffickers.

dragg SG

extracted from straits times forum.

I refer to the letter 'You'll get 40 cents refund, but come back for it after three days' by Mr Goh Aik Boon (ST Online Forum, Oct 17).

Fare refunds made easy for commuters who are overcharged

We would like to apologise to Mr Goh for the inconvenience caused.

Upon receiving Mr Goh's feedback, a check was conducted. It revealed that the overcharging on Service 8 on 26 September 2005 was due to technical glitches with the Ez-link card reader.

We will continue to work with the Land Transport Authority, which is the system's owner, to try and further reduce the incidence of incorrect fare deductions.

System faults which result in incorrect fare charges are random occurrences. For every case of overcharging, there is an equal probability of undercharging.

We would like to reiterate that public transport operators do not control such system failures and they certainly do not gain from them. When customers are overcharged, full refunds are given. But when commuters are undercharged, the operators do not claim from the commuters.

We would also like to explain that commuters who wish to claim refunds do not have to make a trip to the TransitLink office. They may file their claims through the TransitLink website (www.transitlink.com.sg) or hotline 1800-2255663 and they can get their refunds sent to them by post.

Alternatively, refunds can be directly credited to the commuters' DBS/POSB bank accounts or they can be collected from any ticket office.

For valid claims due to bus system errors, commuters may opt for a full cash refund of the fare deducted or complimentary voucher for a free bus ride on any bus service operated by the respective companies, including express and night services.

We have sent a separate reply to Mr Goh and TransitLink has also processed the refund for him.

Tammy Tan (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communications
SBS Transit Ltd

Kathryn Lau (Ms)
Assistant Corporate Communications Manager
TransitLink Pte Ltd

dragg SG

extracted from straitstimes forum.

I refer to Ms Tammy Tan's reply in The Straits Times' Online Forum on October 28 to Mr Goh Aik Boon's letter on fare refunds.

Despite SBS's assurance that commuters can obtain refunds easily at any of its TransitLink offices, I discovered that this was not so.

On one of my daily trips to work in May this year, I was overcharged by 50 cents. After reporting the incident at one of the TransitLink offices, I was asked to checked on the status of the refund two weeks later at any office.

I made two trips to the office in the next two months but was always told that my case was still under investigation.

Two and a half months later, I went back and got the same reply. This time, I called a staff from TransitLink customer service centre to demand a reply on the delay in my case.

She assured me that she would check and call me back the next day. It wasn't a surprise that I did not receive any calls from her. I finally gave up in disgust.

I wonder how many commuters in similar situations as mine gave up like me and let SBS Transit earn that extra cash.

SBS Transit can punish commuters who short-change it on bus trips but commuters aren't able to do so when its machines erroneously overcharge the fares.

Shouldn't SBS Transit have a refund turnaround time, failing which it should be penalised by paying commuters late refund fees?

Lee Li Lian (Ms)

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