Leong Wee Keat / Today /
Her comments last week about crowding on trains have raised the hackles of some commuters, especially in cyberspace.
When asked if she had read the comments and blogs, SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa said with a laugh: “I’d be a very depressed person if I read every comment about me.”
She went on to clarify her comments. “I never said that I didn’t recognise it’s crowded … I accept it’s crowded. The point is, in comparison with others, we’ve yet to push people into the train,” she said, referring to Japan and some parts of China.
Ms Saw was reported as saying last Saturday that SMRT does not carry what is referred to as crush loads. She had also said that “people can board the train – it’s whether they choose to”.
She clarified that the latter comment was made in context of the morning peak period. “It’s not because … they choose not to board. It’s because they also know there’s a next train that’s coming, which is much less crowded,” she said.
Some netizens have wondered when Ms Saw last took a train ride. To this, she told MediaCorp she takes a train almost every week, with her last morning peak trip “a few months ago”.
“The fact is, we’re so bothered by it (overcrowding) that we place senior management’s attention to this inordinately,” she said.
“It is crowded, but I push my way in. It is crowded, but when they are already running at 2-3 minutes (intervals), it’s the most that I can do. I cannot go faster than that without compromising safety and reliability.” – Saw Phaik Hwa, Channelnewsasia.
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Ms Saw Phaik Kwa has yet to reply to TOC’s email. The above is Today’s report, in which she addresses some of the questions we had asked her in our email.
From Today / “She takes a train almost every week” /
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Picture not from Today’s report. Picture from eforum1.
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Well said from Joseph Lim.
He takes train every day and share with us his real experiences.
Thus, can we trust what he is sharing to us?
Only the real experiences can be trusted.
We are in Singapore, why compare to Japan and China??? We are Singaporeans we are not Japanese nor we are Peoples’ Republic of China!!!!
As everyone are well aware, Singapore people are aging, if we were to think and compare like Japan or China push and push matter, than how many people will get injured in the train or outside the train, how many people will die due to the push and push????
Given the facility yet don’t make wisely and fully utilizes of it and think of only know how to compare with other countries, we are in Singapore not other countries, other countries doing is their business why want to follow???
Others comment just glance and don’t read and understand it means don’t even want to solve problems at all right??? If things are right who wants to give you any comment, there must be something not right that’s why people treasured to offer their ideas and way out for solving the problems yet can just ignored it or glance without understanding it, is this the way they want to improve things????
When I saw Allien wrote about elderly fall and injure matter. It comes to my mind to concern about this matter too. I would like to give some advices to the CEO of SMRT.
There are study show that if elderly fall:
25% of them will be ok in one year.
40% will be going to nursing home
50% will be with walker
20% will die in one year.
Thus, be aware of it.
maybe as a pre-emptive measure, somebody with legal knowledge can share with everyone here what if pushing people into trains lead into a fight? how does the law see the act of pushing people? will it be considered an act of provocation?
what are the service industries that can legally use physical force in the name of customer service? any? any spillover effects to consider if other service industries follow suit?
Saw Phaik Hwa said with a laugh: “I’d be a very depressed person if I read every comment about me.”
So she actually knows what people are saying even before reading about it! She knows its all negative, thats why she would be depressed. Being the highest paid CEO, she is not going to do anything about it but simply LAUGHED about it. As long as she thinks its ok, its ok. What an idiot place we are in!
“The point is, in comparison with others, we’ve yet to push people into the train”, she said.
I dare her to introduce this “pushing people into the train”. China is still under Communist law. Maybe she does not know SG is supposed to be first world, developed country.
She still insists that “people choose not to board the train”. Then she should say she wishes to understand “why people choose not to board the train”. If she thinks this is the problem, then go and carry out a study into why “people choose not to board the train”. She damn knows that this is not the case.
Problem with everything in SG is, the only resposibility & accountability for top guys in SG is to make as much money as they can from people. The Govt is their collaborator, so in effect we have no Govt. Worse, the Govt then use the increasing GDP PER CAPITA to justify their “good work”.
I have to admit that though Singapore’s MRT system still have room for improvement (i.e. maybe taking a leaf from the better-operated HK MTRs) – it is still comparatively better than the systems in other “1st world” countries.
Having travelled, worked and resided all the world; i can state with absolute certainty that our MRT is better than the systems in Sydney, Tokyo, New York, London, Rome, Berlin, Paris… etc.
*not to mention the fact that our fare is also SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than others*
Though this is not an excuse to settle for less, it is still mindful for Singaporeans to take stock of what we have and appreciate them.
Cheers!
can male staff push female passengers if it gets to that? which part can? their bums? what if the act of pushing seems more like groping, grabbing…?
Tony pang
Having travelled, worked and resided all the world; i can state with absolute certainty that our MRT is better than the systems in Sydney, Tokyo, New York, London, Rome, Berlin, Paris… etc.
……………
cared to shared how you define the smrt is better than a london tube or the parisian metros?
who are you tryin to bluff?
Qui essaient de se coucher, il est celui qui essaie de vous dire au monde qu’il savez comment manger un escargot de cusine français
@iamaTUBEtraveller
London Tube – thanks to TFL, how can one tolerate the stuffy train carriages with NO air-con with MINIMAL air ventilation. How about Circle Line’s FREQUENT signal failures and the “OCCASIONAL” ad-hoc station closures (during peak hours), not enough…. how abt Jubilee’s+Northern Lines’ regular WEEKEND LINE closures + the corkcoaches in the cabin. All these priced at £2.20 (peak hours PER trip ~ S$4.50!!!!)
Berlin’s U-Bahn – similar to London’s Tube except that its a tweeny bit cheaper.
Rome’s spankily DIRTY Metro gross cement stations + grafitti-covered (some are actually nice pieces of art… many are just such an eyesore) carriages and walls. Only good thing with Rome is the fact that its dirt cheap (€1 approx S$2).
And the list goes on……
@iamaTUBEtraveller
“Qui essaient de se coucher, il est celui qui essaie de vous dire au monde qu’il savez comment manger un escargot de cusine français”
Lol!
Nonsense est bon seulement parce que le sens commun est ainsi limitée.
*p.s.* Ya not the only person who knows french over here.
Hah! >_<
Tony Pang
I thought London’s underground is over 100 yrs old and much more complicated? To come up with the concept and build the whole system up during them old days itself was a big achievement. You are not going to also bring up the fire are you ’cause the old escalator had gaps that cigarette butts could get in.
It just occurred to me that MRT service standards is part of the problem. The other part is the PAP population policy, which is bursting all infrastructure at the seams, not just the MRT.
There is just no way the MRT can cater to our exploding population of 3rd world scum!
Yes and i fainted at least 2 times a year in crowded train causing insurance to exclude me from fainting…that is how serious it is
I already see them employing people that “push” commuters into trains. They ALREADY doing it. You mean as a CEO she does not know that is happening?
1.) The Berlin U-Bahn is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, opens in 1902
2.) The London Underground is a rapid transit system, opens in 1863
I’m also very very grateful that our MRT stations and train cabins here are extremely clean, even though when it’s overcrowded you hardly notice the floor. But that’s not the issue we are discussing here.
Why is it so hard for her to come up with an apology for her earlier statement. And the very least just throw us a fluffy line like ” I’ll monitor the situation”. Of cause when something dreadful happens than they’ll start some action. Such an arrogant public servant!
On the one hand, putting up posters for commuters to yield their seats to more deserving passengers like the weak and the old, while at the same time removing the seats, and now, making threats to start pushing people.
Her smiling face will be watching from the platform CCTVs at the uniformed staff push 333.33 passengers into each MRT car, including sex perverts, office ladies, pedophiles, young children, pregnant ladies, feeble retirees, heart patients, and etc
Yeah, better by train!
I met a sence yesterday morning on the North-east Line, while arrived at Harbour Front, walking to Vivo exit to the bus stop above.
I saw a European helping a guy on wheel chair on to the escalator, I was suprised by this act. Think people will say I am over react to this matter, but the actual reason is the lift was not working, so the good hearted European help the guy on wheel chair to get upto the surface of the main ground area to take bus.
Actually there is not much to say on this but too my suprise is that the lift still spoilt today and there are no sign of tell people it is spoilt and don’t see there is any maintain to it, so regret to see such things happen at a place where many people move thru and flow.
CSM, 6 July 2010
err… maybe sometimes its so crowded that 1 cannot see the floor?
-.-”
Allien, 6 July 2010
kind act noted, but depending on the situation, that act may be also viewed as a safety hazzard, to the wheelchair-bound person & to other commuters. accidents can happen, it just hasn’t…
if a lift is the only means for wheelchair-bound people to travel up-or-down the floors in our public transport, more should be done to mitigate it. liddat how to qualify as world class? rite?
Allien
Its good to bring this up. Alot of things are done like this in SG. They do it for show only, they don’t work and they don’t care. What happen if there is a fire?
The reason is how will the wheel Chair guy get upto the surface level when the lift is spoilt and if there are no one to help him upto the surface level?? Is this guy going to sleep at the station until the lift is repair???
SBS may have a winning advantage next time…
Not too be too happy, as what ever bad things or selfish things people did will have their turns of return.
The earth is round, so what you have started you will also get it back one day.
mice is nice
6 July 2010
It’s sarcasm to Tony Pang’s comments, which are not relevant to this thread.
Anyway, SMRT CEO really bad in PR. Does she ever wonder what will happen if the door opens by accidentally while the train is still moving?? Like what happened in the Circle Line recently.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_517611.html
CSM, 7 July 2010
oic…
if the doors openned while on the move & people get hurt or loose their belongings. i guess journalists will point fingers at the masses for whining, being careless, etc…
afterall, 1 did just that in response to the Orchard Rd flooding with “deal with it”, “how prepared are you”, nevermind such retorts made her sound silly.
Atleast she is brave enough to say smrt trains are in fact crowded but not as bad as china or japan. She is indirectly asking us to be prepared for an even more crowded train like in china when the immigration floodgates are open after the elections.
SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa said with a laugh: “I’d be a very depressed person if I read every comment about me.”
Instead of having the courage to read and analyse the “comments” abt her – which can equally be translated as “feedbacks” from the very people whom she’s supposed to serve – she chose to dismiss it with a nonchalant laugh. The very reason that she knows that there are negative comments, is clear sign enough that she’s aware that all is not well in the organization that she’s in charge of.
So, as the CEO (drawing a BIG FAT paycheck) what does she do about it ?
She has the blatancy , or perhaps stupidity is a better word, to come right out to say on the national papers, no less, that she would be depressed if she reads all these “comments”. Now, isn’t this akin to sticking her head in the sand and pretending that all’s well ?
As the CEO, she is not just your average person who may still have the liberty to ignore what’s unpleasant to hear. Bouquets or brick brats pertaining to her organization should be of equal importance to her for follow up actions. Definitely not this ” oh, I’ll get depressed if I read abt all these brick brats….and therefore better that I don’t know abt them ” mentality.
Of late, there’s many instances of CEOs, top guns running big companies/organisations – private and public sector alike – in Singapore that seem to be seriously lacking in EQ and totally out of touch with the general masses on the ground. These are supposedly to be our top-of-the cream, high calibred people…….but yet, seeing what come out of their mouths each time problems arise, really makes one shudders and fear for the general well being of the nation as a whole.
“On the one hand, putting up posters for commuters to yield their seats to more deserving passengers like the weak and the old, while at the same time removing the seats, and now, making threats to start pushing people.
Her smiling face will be watching from the platform CCTVs at the uniformed staff push 333.33 passengers into each MRT car, including sex perverts, office ladies, pedophiles, young children, pregnant ladies, feeble retirees, heart patients, and etc” – I like your comments, jonny.
I dare this stupid woman to introduce this pushing regime.
I don’t believe she takes the train every week. I don’t believe she doesn’t have a posse of aides by her side or a special spot when she does take the train.
She chooses to ignore the comments of the people who are giving feedback about the system.
“I never said that I didn’t recognise it’s crowded … I accept it’s crowded. The point is, in comparison with others, we’ve yet to push people into the train,” —- So what’s her point exactly?
“It’s not because … they choose not to board. It’s because they also know there’s a next train that’s coming, which is much less crowded,” she said.
—- what kind of oxymoronic statement is this?
Now that she had spoken…. so some fools are running the show..
BEST in the Singapore, SMRT should be re-named as Stupid Management Railway Train. Always crowded, slow and have to wait for its services. Trains have to wait for alomst 5 mins and also the bus services like in Sembanwang town, Bukit Batok town etc. Its services route in Sembawang town is one of the worst. For instant, service in Sembawang Drive look so many bus services in paper but not all part of road are covered by all buses in the papers. Ever, in media, announced MRT will come always in 3 mins but bull shit, and now, thinking bus service to pallell service with the train services. YOU HAVE WONDER PLAN but always plan to fail. Train is always crowded during peak hours but have the mouth to say it is not. Train services always terminated at certain stattions like Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Aljunied etc during the peak hours, always choose during peak hours. This is the best SERVICE in the town. Enquiries from SMRT, and say they have to do that but never see any improvement to releave the situations. Suggestion to them but always say no plan. What is a STupid Operator in the town! You are treat users are the fool but the most foolish is YOU! Is time for you to wake up ur idea and not collecting users money and you will never sleep peace and ppl will still continuous to curst u till last breath of your life. PLS enjoy your cursing by us!
why are all the CEO,minister talking in the same way? all they want is squeeze as much profit as possible from us.
i had enough of their recent comments by the ministers and CEOs, i wonder what are they thinking when they speak those words? does they have any EQ? the way they speak, they dont give a damn on us at all
Reported on the Chinese newspaper Shin Min Pag 3 dated 2-8-2010 :
裕廊东地铁月台太拥挤,
险酿成践踏事件.
SMRT发言人:
大雨导致人潮突增.
正在重新评估人群控制措施.
It was reported on the Chinese newspaper that on 26-7-2010 between 8am-9.15am, Jurong East MRT platform over crowded
Risk causing the stampede.
SMRT spokesman:
Sudden heavy rain led to the crowds.
Being reassessed crowd controls.
Now overcrowding is due to heavy rain. Due to nature again.
Reported by train commuter on site :
Crowd control needed
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC100802-0000012/Crowd-control-needed
She don’t take train,she drive a Ferrari SDQ 9 P,before that a 300 MERC. She is a 55 years Malaysian spinster,a Spore PR. Very arragont,she claimed no benefit to be a Sporean except public housing,very close to Mrs PM. I wonder why Spore with very good education system can’t produce SMRT CEO. This Saw Phaik Hwa is from Metro and later Duty Free Outlet,nothing special. She keep replacing her VP,to avoid competition.
It is quite amazing that a comment as insensitive as the one quoted can be issued by the CEO of a semi-public company.
The Opposition parties in Singapore have a ready-made issue that is both relevant and topical to take up with the LTA.
Ever since this woman took over the management of SMRT, there has been a straight-line deterioration of SMRT services as far as passenger comfort is concerned.
I dare her to take a ride from AMK to Raffles on any work day and justify the content of her statement to the press.
The attempt to save on energy costs by raising the temperature of the airconditioning system on the north-south line carriages and SMRT buses have been causing discomfort since this merchant took over the company.
With the increase in traffic, the discomfort is well near unbearable now.
All this can only benefit the shareholders of the company. If there is a way of removing the rights to operate the services on the routes run by SMRT, the Opposition should fight for it.
I am sure the penny-pinching greed of SMRT and its utter disregard for the basic comfort it is supposed to provide for its passengers will more than serve to justify the denial of its attempt to raise its fares still further.
Unlike the SBS who, over the past few years, have made sincere efforts to improve their service with new handicap-friendly buses and providing at least sufficiently cool cabins for the buses and train carriages, SMRT’s rattling vehicles on the road (I thought there was a 10-year limit before punitive road taxes come into play?) and the “energy-saving” carriages of its train lines is an obscenity that has to be experienced before it can be belived.
In closing, I repeat my challenge to you – Mdm Saw Phaik Hwa – to attempt to get into a north-south line carriage from AMK to Raffles between 7am-8:30am. And if you manage to do so, smile and tell me the ride was at least cool enough to offset the discomfort of the crowd.
@Tony Pang
Fares are more expensive there in Europe, but they do have wages keeping up with inflation right?