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PR Newswire
26-05-2014, 12:21 AM
Quote: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."Tax money collected is finite. But govt don't get any tax if with people staying at home. They need to travel to work to all the businesses the SG govt brought in. Gov needs us to work and we need to travel to work. We are not put in this position by choice.
Quote:What about opening the market to more competition, which the Government has just announced it will do with public buses?So there is a potential flaw with the model. LTA back to drawing board please before any further cocks up.
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."
Quote: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.Ok someone already mentioned about the differences in climate. But another thing to point out is that the mindset of the employers over there are also very different from those in SG. Are they ok for workers to be late.
"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."
Quote:And nationalisation is not necessarily a superior model either, said Mr Ee.I am not asking for three seats to myself. I am not even asking for one seat to myself. I am only asking to be able to get into the train and not to be packed like sardine. Does that equate to high level of service? I should really count my blessing.
"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.
Quote:"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.I can agree that "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." but totally disagree that "So by that very nature, they are going to be crowded. They're not designed for comfort.". Simply removing all the seats in buses and MRTs you get the capacity increased overnight. Problem solve. No-brainer. Comfort not an issue here.
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."Need I say more?
Quote:While he acknowledged that commuter satisfaction has been slipping, he also lamented how people forget too easily about the improvements that have been made.Great example but I travel from Jurong to City to work. That used to be quite pleasant but now is frustrating. On a daily basis some more thank you. My grandma don't even live in Kembangan and I don't live in Bishan. I may even only use this route once or twice in my life. Everybody should find a house in Bishan and a job in Kembangan to enjoy this great improvement.
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."
Quote:An occasional public transport user himself, Mr Ee said things are not as bad as they seem.Fine all commuters are spoilt brats.
"Nothing is ever perfect. But in the context of this imperfection, actually things are not so bad.
Quote:"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?"Are we really asking for perfection here? This has been mentioned a few times.
Quote: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.So if I don't grumble I have to shut up right??? Or I can don't grumble and don't shut up at the same time. I don't know how to do this. Also how to adapt? Ask my employer for a car and a chauffeur?
In the meantime, people can either adapt to the current situation or "keep grumbling".
Quote: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.Oh another cock-up in the gov planning has been revealed.
Quote:In response, Mr Ee again brought up the issue of trade-offs.Stop reminding us all the cocks up. We know there are a lot already.
"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.
Quote:"It also comes back to that one fixed pot of money. Every year, we have the Budget debate on how to slice it up.Are our tax high in comparison to others? This dilemma is faced by most govt in other countries. If these rich people wants to move because of this, they know very well that this issue exists anywhere they go.
"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".
Quote: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.Vice versa!
As for where the key to public transport satisfaction lay, Mr Ee did not mince his words.
"Commuters changing their attitudes," he said.
For someone who doesn't face the daily commuting woes to say something like this is really annoying.
