still Much to consider
ALEX HAR YUH LING
BUS commuters in Singapore must be pinching themselves in disbelief
that the authorities have admitted that current transport operators
are doing a poor job and putting profits above commuters. It was
good to hear Transport Minister Raymond Lim announce that there
will be improvements.
.
This will not be an easy task for Mr Lim and his team.
.
SMRT president and chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa
unabashedly
announced the company would
fight for the most lucrative routes once they are open for bidding.
This left me wondering who would service less popular routes. Would
they be left in the hands of inexperienced companies with poor
resources?.
Would granting franchises geographically mean commuters would have
to change buses at geographic boundaries? Would operators be
allowed to pick up passengers outside their boundaries? These
issues are complex.
.
Do we understand the profile of commuters and what they really
want?
.
Rates and fares are definitely critical issues. There is already
some indication that fares would increase, as the new charging
principle will be based solely on distance travelled without
limitation.
.
Commuters would like to see a transparent account of operators'
costs. How much does revenue from bus advertising or properties
such as the Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio bus terminals offset
operational costs?
.
It may not be necessary to spend a fortune on bus-tracking systems
at interchanges and bus stops if waiting times are no more than 10
to 15 minutes.
.
Instead, other improvements should be made to bus stops. Not all
bus stops display bus route information. Most bus stops are not
rainproof and are often dirty.
.
The roles of buses and trains must be reappraised before we can
even begin discussing further integration.
.
Currently, buses are seen as the poor man's option. Trains are more
sikit atas (Malay for "a class above") as they charge higher fares.
As its name suggests, the MRT transports the masses, especially
over long distances. Buses are more a door-to-door service.
.
If this view is adopted, rates would have to be aligned to minimise
commuter fares. This makes sense, as cost-scale extrapolations
would probably show it is easier to gain economies of scale from
the MRT system than the bus system. It would also be possible for
MRT operators to reduce rates, as they would probably have
recovered most, if not all of their initial capital investment by
now.
.
Investing large sums of money to make buses and trains more
accessible to wheelchair-bound commuters should not be a priority.
Bus drivers and commuters should be kind enough to help the
disabled.
.
Instead, subsidies should be provided to the disabled so they can
travel by taxis. I do not think this would cost anywhere near the
sum the LTA has given SBS to make its buses more accessible to
wheelchair-bound passengers.
.
I congratulate Mr Lim for his brave and courageous stand. He is
proof that people in authority do not have to be defensive about
issues facing Singaporeans. Their job is purely to make
improvements. I believe that most public transport commuters would
share my sentiments and support Mr Lim in fulfilling his
mission.
.
The writer, a former insurance professional, is now a business
consultant.
ALEX HAR YUH LING
SMRT CEO is profit oriented and
nothing else..... :lol:
