SINGAPORE : The Consumers Association of Singapore has said this
is not the right time to increase public transport fares, as
salaries of the lower income have not gone up.
CASE was responding to SMRT's application to the Public Transport
Council to increase its fares.
SMRT has applied to increase fares on its bus, MRT and LRT services
this year.
But CASE says the fare hikes are not justified, as the listed
transport operator made a record net profit of S$126.9 million in
the financial year which ended on March 31.
That is 42 percent higher than its profits the previous year.
Said Yeo Guat Kwang, president of CASE, "There are signs of
recovery -- I think we had quite good growth last year -- but based
on my understanding as a union leader, the bottom 20 percent of
income earners are still having a hard time and their salaries have
not been increasing. In most cases, they still suffer from pay
cuts."
Most commuters were understandably resistant to paying more.
"They should not increase the fares at the moment, reason being the
economy has not fully recovered," one commuter said.
"How can they increase fares when our salaries are down? It may not
affect high earners but it's a burden to low income earners like
us," another said.
Based on a new fare revision formula, which takes into account the
Consumer Price Index and workers salaries, SMRT has said a 2.4
percent increase is possible.
This means a commuter will have to pay about two cents more for an
average fare of 80 cents.
And there are some who think a slight increase is acceptable.
"No more than five cents. I think that's acceptable," said one
commuter.
The decision now lies with the Public Transport Council, which will
take about four weeks to review the proposal. - CNA /ct
