Saw TODAY.
And shocked to read this statement! (in red)
Is it going to happen!
The Public Transport Council (PTC) is assessing applications from
SMRT and SBS Transit, which operates the North-East Line (NEL) in
addition to its bus services.
.
Its decision will be out next month, with the changes taking effect
from July.
.
According to a new formula, any fare hike would be 2.4 per cent, or
no more than 2 cents on an average 80-cent fare.
.
Both SMRT and SBS Transit, a unit of ComfortDelgro, have cited
rising operating costs to justify their applications for a fare
increase.
.
The last time public transport fares rose was in 2002. This time,
SMRT's request for higher fares comes on the back of the firm's
record net profit of $126.9 million for the year ended Mar
31.
.
Addressing critics, Ms Saw stressed that her aim was not to raise
fares so that SMRT makes a profit.
.
She explained: "The costs have gone up by about 10 per cent over
the past three years things like statutory fees, GST and property
taxes, fuel and security that I have to absorb, completely not
passing through to the customer."
.
She added that MRT fares here were about one-third of Asia's
average and less than half of the United States', yet the MRT
system has been ranked top in the world for punctuality and second
for cost and manpower efficiency.
.
So, why not merge SMRT with SBS Transit's
NEL to beget more cost savings, as some analysts have
suggested?
.
"We're very open to the idea, but what's the price? NEL in itself
is still loss-making. At this rate, they (SBS Transit) have not
expressed that they're interested to do anything," said Ms
Saw.
.
"I suppose they believe they can do something better with it, which
we think is tough."
.
SBS Transit's response on the fare-hike issue: Pg 16 Proposal may
mean no increase for some: SMRT
Christie Loh
[email protected]
THE controversial proposed fare hike will not hit everyone
equally.
.
Eight of 10 MRT commuters using the EzLink card would see either no
change or, at most, a 1-cent rise in fares, revealed Ms Saw Phaik
Hwa, SMRT's president and chief executive on Friday.
.
This is because in the train operator's fare hike application last
month, it had asked for the bulk of the increase to fall on the
"better-off", who only take the MRT occasionally, she said.
.
"For people who buy one ticket at a time tourists or people who
have cars but like to take a train if I increase a standard
ticket of 80 cents by 10 cents, that's nothing to them. So, we're
looking to move fares up significantly more in those areas where
people can afford," she told reporters after SMRT's prize-giving
ceremony for the Ride-for-Free Promotion.
.
Yesterday, SBS Transit also came out to elaborate that if its
proposal for a fare hike were approved, it could introduce measures
that would include keeping fares for schoolchildren unchanged;
extending hours for concessionary travel by senior citizens to
include weekends, for example; and setting up a transport fund for
the poor and needy.
.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) is assessing applications from
SMRT and SBS Transit, which operates the North-East Line (NEL) in
addition to its bus services.
.
Its decision will be out next month, with the changes taking effect
from July.
.
According to a new formula, any fare hike would be 2.4 per cent, or
no more than 2 cents on an average 80-cent fare.
.
Both SMRT and SBS Transit, a unit of
ComfortDelgro, have cited rising operating costs to justify
their applications for a fare increase
