Want better transport? Pay for it

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#1
I think many men on the streets will be turned off by the following comments... Even though he uses public transport, he may be using them at some off peak hours. Personally, something got to give... if we leave pricing of public goods to Mr Market, then there is simply no difference to the pricing of COEs which also implies that there is little need for any government...

Want better transport? Pay for it

Unrealistic to expect better service without fare hike, says former transport council head
Published on May 25, 2014 1:21 AM

Commenting on the bus contracts model, Mr Ee said commuter expectations of bus services here differ from those in places like London, where "you may have to walk four, five bus stops before finding one where the service you want stops". -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

Commenting on the bus contracts model, Mr Ee said commuter expectations of bus services here differ from those in places like London, where "you may have to walk four, five bus stops before finding one where the service you want stops". -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

Commenting on the bus contracts model, Mr Ee said commuter expectations of bus services here differ from those in places like London, where "you may have to walk four, five bus stops before finding one where the service you want stops". -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Mr Gerard Ee laments how people forget too easily about the improvements that have been made to the transport system over time. -- ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN


By Christopher Tan, Senior Transport Correspondent

After nine years as head of the Public Transport Council, Mr Gerard Ee knows a thing or two about trade-offs. Especially when it comes to balancing the affordability of fares and the profitability of public transport companies.

But it is clear to him that Singaporeans do not care about what goes into this crucial balancing act. "We want better service but no fare increase - which is not realistic," he said flatly.

Mr Ee, 65, who handed the reins at the council to former judge Richard Magnus at the beginning of this month, believes that the more Singaporeans expect from public transport, the more they should be prepared to pay.

He pointed to the $195 million project to upgrade the signalling system of the North-South and East-West MRT lines, which will allow trains to run at 100-second intervals instead of 120 today.

"Does it really hurt to wait that few more seconds longer, or to wait for three trains before you board?" he asked. "Because there is a cost to everything. Would it not be better to accept... that travel to and from work takes a bit longer, but it's affordable?"

Even if the Government steps in to finance the upgrade, the cost is ultimately borne by the community. "Government money is the people's money. And tax money collected is finite. It's used for education, health care, defence, transport. The more it goes into one sector, the less we have for another."

What about opening the market to more competition, which the Government has just announced it will do with public buses?

Last Wednesday, the Land Transport Authority announced that it will bundle bus routes in 12 packages, which will be put up for competitive bidding from later this year. It envisages the reformed market to have up to five operators.

Mr Ee said: "Both SMRT and SBS Transit are public companies. If I were a shareholder, I might well tell them, 'Hey, look, the returns (on buses) in Singapore are so miserable; don't even bother to tender for it. Focus on Australia or wherever the returns are much better.'"

And even if new players come in, things may not change.

"If they don't make it, they close shop, and we re-tender, and another (player) comes in. Meanwhile, the commuter will suffer. That's a possible scenario."

When it is pointed out that the contracts model - where operators bid for rights to operate selected routes - seems to work well in places such as London and Sydney, Mr Ee said commuter expectations are different there.

"I go to London three times a year," he said. "You may have to walk four, five bus stops before finding one where the service you want stops.

"But people there accept it. As for rail breakdowns, you don't know until you get to the station. But people take it in their stride."

And nationalisation is not necessarily a superior model either, said Mr Ee.

"The Government takes the hit when it adjusts fares," he explained. "Still there won't be happiness, because the expectation is for a very high level of service at minimum fares."

Mr Ee revisited the issue of high expectations frequently during this interview, blaming it for the unhappiness Singaporeans have over public transport.

"At the end of the day, buses and trains are about transporting a lot of people from Point A to B as affordably as possible," he said. "So by that very nature, they are going to be crowded. They're not designed for comfort.

"If you treasure your time and treasure your comfort, you pay a premium - there are premium bus services. If you value your time and comfort even more, buy a car. And then ultimately, get a chauffeur. You have to decide for yourself what it is you want."

While he acknowledged that commuter satisfaction has been slipping, he also lamented how people forget too easily about the improvements that have been made.

Like how it used to take almost an hour to get from Bishan to Kembangan. Now, it is less than 30 minutes since the Circle Line opened four years ago.

"We forget about that great improvement, but complain that we have to wait for one train to pass before we can get on."

An occasional public transport user himself, Mr Ee said things are not as bad as they seem.

"Nothing is ever perfect. But in the context of this imperfection, actually things are not so bad.

"Of course they can always be improved, but what degree of perfection are you aiming for, because there is a cost involved? Are you willing to pay higher fares to achieve it?"

Reiterating what the Government and the public transport operators have been saying, Mr Ee said planned improvements - such as the new MRT lines - will take some time to materialise.

In the meantime, people can either adapt to the current situation or "keep grumbling".

Mr Ee is told that nearly two decades ago, the Government actually had a far more ambitious rail expansion plan than today's. Critics believe that if that programme were on course, commuters would not be facing many of the current issues.

In response, Mr Ee again brought up the issue of trade-offs.

"In the early years, we tended to roll out new lines when there was an economic downturn, to get the best price and to create employment," he said. "The downside is that you may not keep pace with pattern of demand.

"To keep pace with demand, you would have to build even though it's expensive, like now. So, again, it's a balance."

On the other hand, if a line was built ahead of demand, "you get a situation like in Sengkang... where those who moved in early get irritated because they can see the stations but can't use them".

He was referring to the Sengkang-Punggol LRT system, which was completed in 2003, but has yet to open fully.

"It also comes back to that one fixed pot of money. Every year, we have the Budget debate on how to slice it up.

"So do we use the money for building a new MRT line or, at that time, the new Terminal 3 (at Changi Airport), which will bring more tourists to Singapore and benefit the economy?"

He said another way would be to increase taxes, but that would "drive away all the richer people who actually create industry and bring all the jobs here".

Dipping into Singapore's reserves is also out of the question. He said the reserves ensured the strength of the Singapore dollar. For a country that imports almost everything, a strong currency is vital.

It would help "if more people understood what Singapore is faced with... and how the country has to constantly juggle when it comes to allocation of resources", said the trained accountant.

As for where the key to public transport satisfaction lay, Mr Ee did not mince his words.

"Commuters changing their attitudes," he said.

christan@sph.com.sg
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#2
when I worked in London zone 1, I seldom take public transport and walked not just 3-4 bus stops, but walked across 3-5 subway stations also no sweat. why? because the weather is conducive for walking & road traffic not complicated.

compared to sg, ask me to walk 3-4 bus stops, when I reach office, my shirt will be wetty sweaty..
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#3
For a given level of efficiency, someone always has to pay for better service. The only difference is whether you pay upfront at the point of consumption (fares) or you pay for it indirectly (taxes).

Gerard Ee may have been a bit too blunt, but he is not wrong.

Obviously, the problem with taxes is that you don't see a direct relationship between the pain and the reward. But for social policy reasons, the government should probably (and does) subsidize public transport (for students, elderly etc). These are the obvious cases.

What's not so obvious is example : should the Government spend (e.g. 1 billion) more so that that your commute to work at 8:30am is less crowded, when you can get the same effect by taking a (say) 8am train.
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#4
You walked in the winter time too and it was conducive?


(25-05-2014, 10:38 AM)pianist Wrote: when I worked in London zone 1, I seldom take public transport and walked not just 3-4 bus stops, but walked across 3-5 subway stations also no sweat. why? because the weather is conducive for walking & road traffic not complicated.

compared to sg, ask me to walk 3-4 bus stops, when I reach office, my shirt will be wetty sweaty..
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#5
On the surface, it seems perfectly reasonable that if you want better [public] transport, you pay more for it.

When I was once working in China, I once encountered a China woman who was pressured into giving up her seat to an elderly man. The China woman did so most grudgingly, and she yelled for several minutes at the elderly man and the other commuters. It turned out that I also knew this woman as she was my colleague.

Some days later, I decided to ask her about this incident. I figured that she would have cooled down by then. Her reason for shouting at the old man was simple - I paid for the transport, I expect quality, by which she meant a seat. It was her right to get a seat, aka, quality.

I guess we were looking at the matter from a different angle of civic mindedness - young people giving up their seat for the elderly.

I am hoping we don't go down this road like this incident.
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#6
^^ That's the same logic of a woman on TV saying that she paid her road tax so she don't understand why she cannot travel on bus lanes.

Some people grow up. Some people remain juvenile. My 3 kids all started as babies being self-centred. Hopefully I have incrementally taught them to look at the bigger picture: those that interact with them, then the family, then the society.

Mr Ee is also wrong on this: Sometimes there are no choices. That's one of the characteristics of public goods and hence why policies are important. Nonetheless high expectation is true; as we had such relatively high quality transport under the old guards.

(25-05-2014, 10:16 AM)greengiraffe Wrote: Mr Ee revisited the issue of high expectations frequently during this interview, blaming it for the unhappiness Singaporeans have over public transport.

"At the end of the day, buses and trains are about transporting a lot of people from Point A to B as affordably as possible," he said. "So by that very nature, they are going to be crowded. They're not designed for comfort.

"If you treasure your time and treasure your comfort, you pay a premium - there are premium bus services. If you value your time and comfort even more, buy a car. And then ultimately, get a chauffeur. You have to decide for yourself what it is you want."
Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give. –William A. Ward

Think Asset-Business-Structure (ABS)
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#7
Quote:"If you treasure your time and treasure your comfort, you pay a premium - there are premium bus services. If you value your time and comfort even more, buy a car. And then ultimately, get a chauffeur. You have to decide for yourself what it is you want."

My decision is to have a car and chauffeur but cannot afford it. How? Maybe the underlying message is if you cannot afford it, just shut up and take it with stride.
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#8
(25-05-2014, 05:06 PM)GPD Wrote:
Quote:"If you treasure your time and treasure your comfort, you pay a premium - there are premium bus services. If you value your time and comfort even more, buy a car. And then ultimately, get a chauffeur. You have to decide for yourself what it is you want."

My decision is to have a car and chauffeur but cannot afford it. How? Maybe the underlying message is if you cannot afford it, just shut up and take it with stride.

Maybe you are putting words in his mouth?
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#9
thought public transport is "essential services" and can crippled singapore if it's not efficient?

If SMRT/SBS cannot operate public transport efficiently, then we should allow foreign competitors to come and try.
Let see what they can do?!!
1) Try NOT to LOSE money!
2) Do NOT SELL in BEAR, BUY-BUY-BUY! invest in managements/companies that does the same!
3) CASH in hand is KING in BEAR! 
4) In BULL, SELL-SELL-SELL! 
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#10
(25-05-2014, 08:15 PM)brattzz Wrote: thought public transport is "essential services" and can crippled singapore if it's not efficient?

If SMRT/SBS cannot operate public transport efficiently, then we should allow foreign competitors to come and try.
Let see what they can do?!!

What happen if foreigner charge more. Will we be able to accept market driven cost structure ?

Just my Diary
corylogics.blogspot.com/


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