Maybe taxis should charge a similar fare of those premium buses then people can will go back to taking taxis. Also non-peak hours for taxis should be much cheaper.

On paper your suggestions sound good. Practical? I am not too sure about it.
We have a good transportation system, better than most countries, comparatively cheaper as well. There is always room for improvement.

5 minutes wait for a train is too long a wait?
Frequency of about 5 minutes wait during peak hours is not good enough for you? You mean you want a train right infront of you when you step up onto the MRT platform right?

I wonder how many readers here are going to share your view….

Sad to know that no matter how fortunate we are, there are still people who are not happy ….

Till now taxis are not officially regarded as public transportation. What we need is that taxis to be classified as such. Following that all public transportation should be made public companies that function is only to provide services not to maximize profits. this will be moving back to the old model singapore used to have in the past.

obviously the government is unwilling to forgo the few billions( i assume) of profits annually to achieve this. but what benefit can it reap. well prices definitely will go down far lower than what it is now. i have lived in cities much larger than singapore but with same population size charging like $100 monthly tickets for unlimited use.

this in turn will cut down cost of living for people. employees will not also demand higher wages. one of the costs that employees factor in when calculating their expected salary is transport costs.

many other costs in the economy constitute public transport costs as a component. these costs will either come down or at least wont rise as fast.

many singaporeans will also start to take public transport even if they have cars due to the cheapness factor. this will reduce congestion on roads and therefore pollution and lost productivity.

the benefits is clearly more than the few billions in profits that they have to forgo.

What is the real reason behind not being able to increase train frequency? Is it technical, ie, the system has maxed out its capacity, or is it economics?

Either way, perhaps having private bus operators plying the same route as the trains may solve the problem.

Unlike normal buses, such buses will only stop at bus stops nearest MRT stations, ie closely replicate MRT routes. This will reduce the travelling time as compared to normal bus routes.

Also, unlike the Express Buses, these buses will not charge the high prices that are currently happening. The Express Buses seem to be targeting a slightly higher income group of people. These buses I am talking about will still be targeting the mass market. But their prices can be nearer that of MRT rates, but lower than the Express Bus rates. And they operate the same times as the trains, not just certain hours.

The intent of such buses are 2 fold:
a) Help alleviate the load from the train system (if it is really maxed out) and yet, do not degrade the travelling experience of commuters too much.
b) Provide competition to the train system, if economics is their reason for dragging their feet.

Not sure if the above will help?

Dear Gus,
If we claim to be a first world country would we, the ordinary Singaporeans, be asking too much if we can have a better transport system. What’s wrong with reducing the waiting time to 1 minute ? The issue is also not about being happy or sad. The issue is whether we can improve the current system. I think we can. Mr Tan Kin Lian’s suggestions are practical. Those in authority should listen to him.
khoo hung kim

Andrew, we don’t need a stronger regulator, whats really needed is for the inbred relationship between the regulator and the companies they supposedly regulate to end.

Gus, if you’ve bothered to read up on the story up to now, you’ll realise that the countries with better systems have trains that appear every 1.5-2 minutes during peak hour. As for off-peak, a good benchmark would be simply that trains during this period are not unreasonably crowded. At this moment the 5-7 minute interval during off peak periods for the MRT fails this basic criteria as I’ve been forced to stand cheek-by-jowl with other commuters during off-peak hours.

There are worse transport systems around the world, but there are better ones. And theres nothing wrong with benchmarking against the better ones and striving to match them. The system is not being condemned, but that there are not-insignifican’t improvements that must be made.

Hi Gus (#2)

Do you take public transport? I do.

It is all right to wait 5 minutes, or even longer, for a train, provided that it is not over-crowded. The problem is that with a train every 5 minutes during the off-peak hours, it is jam packed all the way. I have taken a train at 10 pm at night and have to stand in a crowded train all the way from City Hall to Yio Chu Kang station.

The trains are packed at most times of the day. It is expected during peak hours. But it is packed during the off-peak hours as well.

If the trains are so crowded, it is proper for more trains to be runned, so that the passengers do not have to endure the crowded trains.

I find SBS buses to be quite comfortable during the off-peak hours. Last night, I took a bus from Serangood Road to Yio Chu Kang Road. I waited 12 minutes for the bus, and reached my home ater 35 minuts (including the waiting time). I had a seat all the way. Thanks to SBS and ComfortDelgro.

If we reduce the call charge for booking telephones, then we may have less taxis putting ‘on call’ signs and hence reduce the situation of ‘every other taxi is on call but empty’. I think many of us have experienced waiting for a taxi at a designated taxi stand at a shopping mall and found that the queue hardly shortens after more than half an hour of waiting. The queue only shortens when the person in front of you gives up waiting and call a cab or the rarer instance that a kind taxi driver stops at the taxi stand.

Lowering call charges might solve the problem. Then again, the taxi drivers (some of them at least) may just go touting at tourist-frequented places instead to catch a good fish.

I believe the improvement in service quality is also important for taxi operators, not just buses and MRT.

I saw a posting there are 20 cities that offer free public transport. I hope that some readers can help me to find out more of these free services, such as:

> the area covered by the free service
> how is the operation funded
> what is the standard of service

I suspect that the free service is a shuttle service to serve the central business district.

In my view, it is better to have a free shuttle service within the business district or the residential towns. Although this is provided free, the actual cost is funded through taxation or other sources.

With a free shuttle within the town, we can encourage more people to take public transport (i.e. train or express buses). It will lead to a more efficient system

However, if it is not desirable to provide the free shuttle, we can operate the mini-buses like in Hong Kong. Somebody suggested an alternative, which is a jumbo taxi or a shared taxi.

Hi Secure Chan (#4)

I agree with your suggestion to have private buses ply along the same route as MRT lines, which will add to the capacity and provide some competition.

1. MRT to go Public (Work on Cost + basis instead of PROFITS)
2. Taxis don’t pay ERP
3. No hailing of cabs.. you need a cab you call.. no booking fee (Australia) because it’s more efficient for cab driver instead of crusing around searching for a fare. Oh and yes.. get rid of the silly taxi stops! Booking fee only for overnight (advance) booking
4. Allow more private operators to run mini buses to compete with the current bus operators
5. Primary kids to be shuttled to schools in proper school buses(Aust/USA) – this will reduce traffic on roads at peak hours (look at situation on roads during school holidays)
6. Make PTC truly INDEPENDANT

What I cannot comprehend is waiting for a train at 5-6 min intervals between 9am to 10am getting into the City Hall/Raffles Place area from the east. Cabins are jam packed and uncomfortable.

Does SMRT think that everyone starts work strictly by 9am? There is also a crowd that starts between 9 to 10am. With the inclusion of students studying in SMU, the cabins are more packed than ever.

I have always enjoyed taking the train to work previously. But this experience has deteriorated progressively at an exponential rate over the last 2-3 years.

Fortunately I have only to TRY to get on from Kallang to Raffles Place and have a flexible reporting time to work. I sometimes have to miss 2 or 3 trainloads before being able to board.

No wonder most people look completely full of angst before starting work everyday. So much for a pleasant working environment. I have observed that the faces are exceptionally ‘blacker’ for commuters on Mondays…lol.

nothing will cause the SMRT to increase the ride frequency – they are profit oriented and the majority shareholder is Temasek Holding. They need to improve their bottom line / ROE at whatever cost to the populace.
It is sad. But increasing comfort is not part of their KPI – increasing ROI is!

The failure of Singapore’s public transport market can be attributed to unnecessary intervention by the Public Transport Council (PTC). The PTC has a history of rejecting applications from private bus operators which seek to undercut SBS and TIBS in terms of bus fare, despite that these operators are only has a small area coverage in Singapore.

In terms of business strategy, it makes sense for these private bus operators to charge consumers cheaper than the established rate on SBS/TIBS because:

1. the private bus operator is competing with SBS/TIBS in the same area
2. the SBS/TIBS bus which caters to the same area can travel outside the area
3. maximum distance travelled for each passenger of the private bus is limited, so fuel cost per passenger is limited

In short, private bus operators have a competitive advantage to charge a lower fare as long as they cover a small area in Singapore. Price undercutting of major bus operators should be expected, yet PTC chooses to protect duopoly at the expense of citizens.

I should stress that private bus operators I mentioned in #14 actually sough to ue similarly sized buses that SBS and TIBS use. In one particular example, one private bus operator actually proposed to use the same bus models used by SBS, not the small mini-buses which we have seen in Singapore that charges a premium.

Taxi should not charge ERP to encourage those car owners to give up car and take taxi instead. There are many old taxi drivers who say LTA should not charge ERP on taxi too since it is public transport. It does not make sense at all on one hand the government says the increase number of ERP gantries is not to make money why then charge taxi ERP? There is no truth in what the government is saying hence people has no trust in what the government is saying. Seems like the government is suffering from schizo and need to be examined by IMH for permanently lock them up.

Dear Gus
Do you travel by bus and mrt to work everyday? If you do not let me give you a real life account of the time I spend everyday travelling from Jurong East to Upper Paya Lebar Road to work.

It takes me 3 hours to travel to and fro plus more than 8 hours of work. Each morning I have to leave my house at 7.30 a.m. to catch SBS Service 98 to JE mrt station. If I am lucky, the bus arrives between 10 to 15 minutes. Quite often it is longer than that and two or three buses bunch together. It takes me another 5 minutes to walk from one end of the bus terminal to the other end to board the mrt.

It is a common sight to see JE mrt platform is always packed like sardines with the arrival of the train from Bukit Batok. Every train that comes from Boon Lay is also fully packed. Everyone will try to squeeze their way in to any available space left. There is no such thing as graciousness. It is the ugly side of Singaporeans. I am 65 years old and this is an everyday affair. I have to stand all the way right up to either Raffles Place or City Hall before I can get a seat. I have to bear with the pain on both my knees silently. Most of the time the “Priority Seats” are occupied by younger passengers who either don’t have enough sleep the previous night or too busy reading free newspaper.

So dear Gus, do you still consider we are fortunate to have a “World Class Transportation”. People don’t complaint for nothering. People complained so that things can improve for the better.

Only if the Minister for Communication or the Prime Minister come and experience it for themselves then they will understand the frustration of the commuters like me.

The trains are packed at ALL times of the day now!

And the PTC is indeed very strong, only when it comes to approving fare hikes!

/// 9) Tan Kin Lian on September 10th, 2008 11.19 am

I saw a posting there are 20 cities that offer free public transport. I hope that some readers can help me to find out more of these free services, such as: ///

Kin Lian – that was from me. Those more than 20 cities are for area-wide free public transport – see List of towns and cities with area-wide zero fare transport in the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-fare_public_transport

On top of these, the is longer list of cities with limited zero-fare transport – basically limited to only the CBD – see the next section in the link above.

My contention is, since Singapore is so small and compact, it is possible to have zero-fare for the entire island. It is only a matter of time, before the whole island becomes a CBD. As it is, we have the CBD plus a few regional centres. If this were to be implemented, Singapore can be the first country in the world to have free public transport for the entire country. This would really be a world first that we can truly be proud of, instead of having the biggest popiah, the longest human chain, etc.

Nice article. Unfortunately, the only improvements that might be looked at or even given any serious consideration are those that will increase earnings without any further effort from the operators.

The easiest way to increase revenue thus stakeholder returns without expending additional resources is to- RAISE FARES.

Sorry, make a fare revision.

Resistance is futile.

A partial solution to our public tpt problems is for employers to allow flexitime or if this is not possible change the official working hrs.

The rigid 9- 6 working day is putting unnec strain on the tpt system. Not every biz or employee has to keep these hrs.

Take a bus, off peak, and it is usually a comfortable ride. Can’t say the same abt MRT though. I take the train off peak couple of times a mth and I always have to stand.

There was an article in ST (I think) few yrs back juz when oil prices were rising. It reported that SMRT was cutting back on its train trips. I can’t remember the yr story appeared and have not been able to trace it. Also can’t remember if MRT responded to the story.

If anyone can remember year it appeared, I can locate the story and post it here,.

Hi A Tan (#20)

The SMRT train is packed through-out the day and night, peak and off-peak. If they run more trains (i.e at shorter intervals), it will be less crowded. But we have to make our voices heard.

The NEL is less crowded and more comfortable.

2) Gus

5 mins is not long if you are to reach your destination with that train. Feeder bus to MRT station (10 mins), MRT (5 mins) to MRT interchange, then 5 min to final train. The total waiting time adds up to 20 mins, probably longer than the journey time.

Until the government change their mindset to treat public transport as a profitable business, public transport will continue to be unsatisfactory. The free market objective of maximium profit is not compatible to the public interest of a good, fast, confortable and affordable public transport. Hence the government must intervene in one way or another. They can give public transport provider incentives like lower direct and indirect taxes. If need be unprofitable routes which serve the public well should be subsidised. In Perth, the public bus in the city centre is free, paid for by the govenment.

Harry(#24): I disagree with you on certain aspects of your comments on treating public transport as a profitable business. Privatising public transport is useful cost containment strategy to manage public subsidy of transport. It allows gradual shifting of transport cost from the public pocket to the individual’s pocket as transport cost burden increases over the years. The problem is that we lack a competitive market to regulate the retail price of public transport since public transport market is effectively a duopoly. In short, it is a good idea that has gone bad with time.

This article describes cities that have free public transport:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-fare_public_transport

My friend, who sent the information to me, confirmed that the information on Auckland is true:

Auckland, New Zealand
A free CBD loop service links the ferry terminus, railway station, universities, theatres, casino, galleries and shopping districts using hybrid electric buses. It operates from 8am to 6pm, 7 days, at 10 mins interval, but not all buses are hybrid.

The quality of service is quite good, although it does get crowded at certain time, eg. school hours, lunch time, etc.

One of the means to ease the congession is if SMRT can increase the frequency of train schedule (i.e. Peak hours, make it 1 minute interval and non-peak at most 3 minutes interval). The rideship capacity will probably increase and will contribute to their ROI as well. It is not hard to imagine or lead to suspicion that the computer system that controls the scheduling is not gear to do that (you do not expect eh SMRT people to admit that right?). I do not know exactly the capacity of the number of carriages in a single train. From where I work and reside now (Hong Kong), transportation is truly world-class.

From station to station with all various connecting transportation (from mini-buses to buses, free residential sponsored shuttle rides…etc ) In terms of land mass, Singapore and Hong Kong are quite similar. In terms of population density, Hong Kong has 3 million more than Singapore. You do the math.

Here are some more statisitcs that SMRT or Singapore can learn from.

1) Number of Taxis in Hong Kong – 19,000 operating in 24 hours mode with no mid-night surcharge loaded. Yes, there are toll fees to pay if you cross the harbour between HK and Kowloon and some areas in Northern Territory.
2) Buses operates 24 hours mode, average wait time is 5-10 minutes during peak hours in most area.
3) MRT operaated and link to most of the HK and Kowloon region and expanding. Each train is equip with twenty carriages, each can accommodate around 70 people (fully pack). What’s more important is the frequency. peak hours in almost all major stations ~ Wait time 1 minute. Secondary stations wait time no more than 3 minutes. Non-peak travelling, schedule is around 4 minutes.

Talking about charges, if you can save at least 30 minutes of travelling time versus may be a 10% increment of fees to pay for, I think majority will go for it. Obviously, do not forget those who can’t afford any increment (the elderly, less able bodied, students and people with special passes “if SMRT practice this”, retain the concession rate.

The main problem is, these people know what’s wrong with the transportation system, but somehow decided to turn a blind eye and tried to find all kind of excuses to improve (if they wished to improve at all). Don’t pretend to advocate to the citizenry to give up their private cars for public transportation when it is not up to class. ERP or CBD (even COE) has been in place for decades already. Has it really work to curb the traffic congestion? Has it really work to contain the ever increasing automobile population? Admit it! Those (ERP, CBD, COE measures) are money spionning tools in disguised.

If you want others to really see Singapore as a first world country, be like one, act like one, in all aspect of things not just “transportation”. You are only first world when others think you are. Self proclamation just does not cut it.

I sympathize with you all who has got no other choice but to depend on the MRT and SBS. Most of us do. We came along way – I was taking the yellow bus from Upp Payer Lebar/Bartley Rd to Upp Serangoon – Montfort Sch. I used to live in Newtown. I have to leave home before 6 to catch the 1st Tay Koh Yatt bus No.9 to change to the Yellow bus. I don’t know how to compare that with what we have today.
I am very glad that even though we have to squeeze and shove – it is still cooling and comfortable. Even if we have to take more than an hour to reach our working place – I am still glad because I still able to reach my work place and I am glad I still have a job.
If we have young people who don’t have the courtesy to offer seats to the elderly – the parents are to be blamed for poor up bringing. But I have seen many who did so I am quite sure that we are a much gracious society now. There is still room for improvement. But slowly and surely things will be better in the future.
I am very sure that it was definitely more that 5 min wait when the MRT first started. But it is 5 minutes now. It will be more frequent in due course and when it is possible.
Most of us who has gone thru those terrible times – would surely agree that we are much much better now. I can’t ask for more. I donot dare to. I will leave it to those who dare, to ask for more…..

I too have knee problems and I too, take feeder service, MRT, SBS, etc …
I am just liked most of you out there. But I am happy that we have so much as compared to the so little just a decade back….

I know it is tough to survive in Sg – but we all survive, we all work hard, our children made it to the U, have family, a roof, car, food, maid, etc … I am sure we can endure a little bit more, now and then…

I used to tell my class that we cannot expect the world to adjust to our convenience. We adjust to the world.

a 5 min wait is to adjust to the world. To demand for it to be reduce 1.5 min is to expect the world to adjust to us.

cheers

Hi Gus (#28)

Glad to know about your experience in public transport. I agree with you that 5 mins wait is okay. Even 10 mins is okay. Provided that the train is not over-crowded.

During the peak hours, there is a train every 1.5 min. This means that there is sufficient trains to run at this frequency.

During the off-peak hours, SMRT run fewer trains to reduce cost and maximise profits. So it is packed all the way, day and night, peak and off-peak.

I am asking for more trains to be runned during the off-peak hours, so that the ride is not over-crowded, more comfortable and a chance to get a seat.

I take the bus during the off-peak hours and usually can get a seat. I do not mind waiting 10 mins for a bus. So, I like to thank SBS for being considerate.

I agree travelling on public transport can really get onto their nerves of many.

* crowded trains

* slow buses (sometimes drivers seem to take their own sweet time)

* trains experiencing more frequent faults

* jerky train riding experience (years ago was more smooth riding)

* announcements on trains (especially newer ones) getting too loud – noise pollution

* people standing on right side of elevators but not moving

* dirty buses with some even with cockroaches

* new SBS buses are wheel chair friendly which is good but then why is there a high step being built? The designer sure know of this if not they won’t be a “Mind the step” signage. They are telling those older elders who have problems climbing the high step to stay and stand (very few seats at lower half) at the lower “half”. Bring your own chairs.

* new SBS buses have a lot fewer number of seats are being reduced which means more passengers per square feet. Buy their shares!

* ok for now.

hongjun

[...] Trains & Automobiles – TOC: PTW: From third world to first – Sgpolitics.net: SDP’s policy paper on Land [...]

I have a concern about the BUSes.
Nowadays, they seem to have all the rights on the roads and I caution that this right of way might cause accidents in unfortunate circumstances.

For example, MY cars may not be familiar about their right of way is so extreme.
New drivers, retirees , expats, PRs, new citizens , foreign workers etc.

Singapore should just have more trains and underground expressways.

Bus system is old economy and not practical in singapore unless all the roads are all widened by 1 lane at least.

Furthermore, Buses ply profitable routes most of the times and this may not mean the shortest route all the time. In such a tiny town, this is not the best solution. MRT is the way to go, credit goes to our great late Mr Ong. He fought hard for this contribution to singaporeans.

So far, that is the only 1st world transport system to me.

Car owners are suffering due to lack of parking space and everywhere is more and more ERP type parking, ‘cannot run’ type of parking.

Every car park using ERP system should also be considered an ERP gantry.

Guess how many ERP there are in sinaprepore?

Well, thats the way singaporeans wants it. At least the majority is not complaining. Thats great! Enjoy more good years. Swiss standard and all.

I read some of the comments here and I see that there is an issue on having to wait for 5 minutes for the MRT. Yes, if we think in a practical way, it is not that long, but have we all forgotten our ‘kiasu-ness’ and how much we want things our way? Well, many of us are impatient and that is a fact. So, i think facts should be faced and somthing should be done.

Now, let’s forget the impatient people for a moment. Come back to reality and you will see that MRT’s are always packed. Once i reach the platform, i will walk to the end hoping the coach would be less crowded. Especially during peak hours, the MRT can be really full. Literally full. I even remember one occasion when I had to almost lean on one of the commuters! For the MRT to arrive every 5 minutes, it is a good thing, but take into consideration the amount of people in the MRT as well. So shouldn’t the frequency be increased so that MRT’s won’t be so packed and commuters can travel in the comforts they deserve? After all, who pays the taxes? Don’t we deserve something as contributors?

Mr Tan,
Can you write somthing new as a columnist? This article of yours have been reposted so many times over — a passe. A shoter version even appeared on ST long time ago. Instead of repeating, rehashing and recycling, do you really have anything new or insightly for discussion? Dont be like Mediacorp, re-telecasting repeats to fill time slots. If online citzen wants to be relavent, pls post new stuff. What a passe piece!

Pardon for my harsh words. I really would like to read new insightful stuff and i believe this website can play a meaningful part to benefit all.

Cheers

33) Citizen on September 10th, 2008 9.41 pm
………….For the MRT to arrive every 5 minutes, it is a good thing, but take into consideration the amount of people in the MRT as well. …………………

Its really a matter of SWISS STANDARD can do it , you can do it or not?

Do you know how big is Switzerland?
Do you know how frequent their public transport system arrives on time on target?
Do you know how difficult it is ? And do you know they Boleh! ?

Enjoy more good years!
Swiss standard ler.
Everyone believes this.
me too. U no the believing of the me meh?
yibah untooneh!

Guys, don’t forget currently there are approx 4.5 M ppl living in this tiny island, We already felt the squeeze at every corners such as transportation, housing, food centre etc. What will happen if population increase to 6.5 M which the 1st class gov intended. You can imagine the out come if this 1st class gov still dreaming in the ivory tower.

Waiting for 5 minutes is not a problem. As long as I can actually GET INTO the train after waiting for 5 minutes. You can increase the frequency of the train to 1 per minute and it would do jack squat if I still can’t get in because all the trains are full.

No one else seems to be seeing (or bothering to state) this problem:

SMRT was started when Singapore’s population was only about 3+ million.
They decided to build train stations that can only accomodate 6 carriages.

Now that the population is 4.5+ million, the trains would have to carry an equivalent load of 8 carriages.

When the population gets to 6+ million?
Heh… Let’s see if they are long-sighted enough by designing the circle line stations with the capacity to handle at least 10 carriages.

when you go to the toilet in a shopping centre and all the cubicles are taken – what do you do? Do you demand that the management build more cubicles? Of course you can demand for that and if management feel that it can be done – it will be done.slowly and surely.

Then again do you wait patiently. In that situation what do you do – c’mon NS trained – improvise. Leave earlier or later, walk to the front or to the back, do what you must until such time when things improve.

The MRT is not a perfect system in the first place when it was first mooted. it still isn’t. If you put too many trains or too many carriages, etc wear and tear, etc – if the train has a minor breakdown, etc etc… everybody suffers.

A young girl want to do an implant to solidify her asset but the father could not afford it. she pestered. so the dad agreed.
but do one at a time. the subject was never brought up again.
nothing to do with train actually ….

running more trains / more frequently is just doing that – a temporary fix to a problem. I m sure it is a problem and that it needs fixing but it has to be done rite in due course.

Not that the problem can be fixed by just running more trains more frequently etc…

Patience is sure a virtue.
cheers

Hi korek2korek (#34)

There is no need for you to be rude. If you do not like this article, just ignore it.

The other readers are happy to read the article and give their comments. As this is Public Transport Week, the editor decided to re-pubish this “old” article, as it is relevant to the main theme of the week.

36) See-u-no-up on September 11th, 2008 10.34 am Guys, don’t forget currently there are approx 4.5 M ppl living in this tiny island, We already felt the squeeze at every corners such as transportation, housing, food centre etc. What will happen if population increase to 6.5 M which the 1st class gov intended. You can imagine the out come if this 1st class gov still dreaming in the ivory tower.

————–

Aiyoyo, why the worrys? the majority no the worrys, you no need worrys lahs.
Rain or shine, the majority no the worrys.

If 1 or 2 m i l l i o n more new citizens come in, not including the future PRs, foreigners, foreign workers and expats, laboreres and housemaids, I help you ease your worrys.

I propose more hikes to solve problems.
1. road more cars? no problem, hike the very effective traffic buster ERP . still some gap between London peak hour rate and here’s.

2. for anything else, just hike. Maybe can solve even more problem. But I may be wrong huh. Dont take my words for it hor.

3. Baby no enough ? add more money to entice.

4. MNCs cannot compete well ? no worrys, use supply and demand theory. More supply from far far away, employers very happy. You more happy ah. You get to keep your next month salary ah. Else if they leave, you eat grass ah.

Sporeans have spoken time and time and time x 49 again so they must be happy. I think only lah. I no no wan.

regards
Ho Pinkie
the stylo milo

It will be helpful to put up logical points to make your argument strong. Simply using toilet cubicles in shopping centres to argue against the request for increasing the frequency of trains and more carriages does not make sense.

Using public transport daily to commute to work is an essential service. Going to shopping centre looking for toilets is an emergency.

#38 The MRT is not a perfect system in the first place when it was first mooted. it still isn’t. If you put too many trains or too many carriages, etc wear and tear, etc – if the train has a minor breakdown, etc etc… everybody suffers.

Are you implying that currently there is no wear and tear and no breakdowns?

Kin Lian’s contenytion:
If more trains are operated during the off-peak hours, the operating expenses may increase marginally. But the passengers can enjoy a significant improvement in comfort and quality of service. Less crowded trains will encourage more people to take the train, especially during the off-peak hours. This increase in business will more than offset the higher operating cost. It is the classical “chicken and egg” question.

The call to increase the frequency of trains is not totally unreasonable. The increase in frequency will definitely ease the sardine packed trains and make it less stressful for commuters.

The fact that they are increasing the frequency of trains during the F1 race is proof that smrt can do it but refuse to do it.

We are talking improving the service and make travelling in mrt a little more comfortable. It is right to say that the mrt system is not perfect and this is where they have to imporve upon it.

the point is if you have to wait – you wait.

increasing more trains = more wear and tear = more breakdown.

there is wear and tear. there are breakdowns – can we afford to have more breakdowns?

increase more trains=more comfort= more people will take train
=more crowded=square 1

where do we draw the line?
MRT needs to improve – agreed.
the question is how fast the change and how soon.
No doubt some of us may not live long enough to see the change
but that’s life.

I still think a 5 min wait is OK. I still think that taking about an hr travelling to reach your work place is still OK. I still think that a lot of things in Sg now is OK.

We can do with more comfort, etc, etc – but if not – it is still OK.

It is OK.

Who give you the idea that increasing more trains = more wear and tear = more breakdown.

Do you know what is the meaning of regular maintenance?

You are simply arguing on the wrong point. We are talking about increasing the frequency will make the trains less crowded. We are not complaining about the 5 minutes wait. You can keep your argument

increase more trains=more comfort= more people will take train
=more crowded=square 1

simply flawed.

44) GS on September 12th, 2008 12.19 pm

More trains – cannot – as you explained.
More vehicles – cannot also – as more ERP.
More roads – also cannot – space limited also – and a lot are quite close to residential blocks.

More ppl can lah – 2+million to 4+million + targeted to 6.5+million.
Hey, more ppl will mean more commuting needs, hence commuting modes.

GS, as you are quite good in your logical explanation from your past posts, Could you please juggle the above variables to give me a good fit.

42) Gus on September 12th, 2008 11.58 am

“increase more trains=more comfort= more people will take train
=more crowded=square 1″

More trains – cannot – as you explained.
More vehicles – cannot also – as more ERP.
More roads – also cannot – space limited also – and a lot are quite close to residential blocks.

More ppl can lah – 2+million to 4+million + targeted to 6.5+million.
Hey, more ppl will mean more commuting needs, hence commuting modes.

GS, as you are quite good in your logical explanation from your past posts, Could you please juggle the above variables to give me a good fit.

I have only posted once previously regarding my personal experience on the mrt.

Last night, I almost vomited blood waiting for an Express bus outside Marina Square. The bus schedule stated that the bus will arrive at 2146 and 2216. But the service totally skipped the 2216 timing! As a result, I waited more than 40mins for the bus! And today they have the cheek to announce that they’re raising fares. World class transport indeed!

Yes, the whole issue has to do with the govt. reluctance to introduce competition.

The govt. reluctance to introduce competition is mystifying as I’m sure they have no vested interest to protect the duopoly since the govt goal is to serve its citizen..

or maybe is there not enough voices inside the govt serving the citizens?

I am a retiree. I take public transport when I need to leave home to meet friends or attend seminars in town. My experience with MRT is it is getting crowded and 10pm is worse if you go through City Hall or Raffle Place when workers and employees in the city area leave their work place .

Waiting time is ok with me. It is around 3 mins on the average. Of course, if you miss the train when you step onto the platform, it will take you up to 5 mins but seldom I was so unlucky.

I checked with my son who travels daily to NUS from our home in Yeo Chu Kang area. His experience is: waiting time around 3 mins, occasionally 5 mins. During busy hours it is about 1 to 2 mins as there are more trains. However, the trains are packed especially at the Jurong interchange. He has seen some improvement recently though.

So mrt waiting time doesnt seem to be an issue with our family . What we would like to see is a comfortable ride (less packed).

As for bus transport, I fully agree with Mr Tan Kin Lian’s proposal to have frequent feeder buses or vans like what Hong Kong does.

I dream of the day when we can get out from our home, walk a short distance to take a feeder buses or buses and reach any places on this island with ease. I think it is possible if LTA sets this as a target.

If we want to increase the population, if we want to lessen the cost of living, if we want to be environment friendly, we have to cut down cars significantly and do something aggressively to encourage more people to take public transport.

There are many improvements in the bus seevcies recently, for example: driven by market demand, there are increase in premium bus services targeting in getting comunters to their destination during peak hours. SBST has service running parellel with the MRT line from Yishun to Town, increase in more mrt trains during lunch time.

i support ERP as it is a moe equitable model for use as you pay, except the ERP should charge accordingly to the engine capacity, i.e. Higher engine capacity pay more erp charges.

Your suggestion of using smaller capacity van or bus is not viable, the operating cost is the same as 45 seater bus.

Hi LBL (#15)

Thanks for sharing your experience. The waiting time is okay, but the crowded trains are the issue. The only way to reduce the over-corwding is to run more trains, and that mean a train at shorter intervals. Remember, that we only have 1 track and only 1 train can be at the station at any time.

If there are more passengers, we need to have more trains running at shorter intervals. If there are less passengers, it is okay to have less train and to wait longer for the traim. Up to 10 minutes is okay.

Singapore can improve its public transport just by adopting a few measures:

> stronger regulation – to require SMRT to run more trains during off-peak hours
> allow small operators to provide feeder service, like in Hong kong
> look after the interest of consumers as well, besides being pro-business.

A few simple steps can make a big difference, and can be implemented quite quickly (and not wait for years).