3/12/2007

good to have frills

Good to have if it is free Unless there is a breakdown or system failure, the next MRT train will arrive in 10 or 15 minutes at most. This could also apply to the buses. At worst, the buses will be late by 30 minutes. Anything more than that, the system must be very badly managed. This is the inbuilt advantage of being small. No need to think like big cities and big countries. It is good to have all the screens to tell the time of the next arrival, provided they don't add towards the operating cost and thus to the cost of the fare. Unavoidable if these perks are added. Imagine how many thousands of bus stops with one or more screens showing the arrival of the next bus? What kind of cost on the software and the maintenance to add these frills to the lives of the poor communters who just want the cost to go lower? Then there are the more affluent commuters who lusted for such thrills as they can afford them. It is important to look at the lowest common denominator, LCD, before implementating all these good to have gadgets. Be mindful that there is a large majority who still struggling to save a few cents on their daily trips. Not everyone can afford to throw away $10 or $100 as tips or small change.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Redbean, Dont u think is a damn waste of tax payer money, pupblic are crying too long waiting times & too packed during peak period.

LTA & Transportation company rather wasted million dollars to show off the world that they got the best dummy equipment in the world but basic operation efficiency is still far a way to compare to others country like Hong Kong. They seen do not know their prior duty.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

what is more important? telling the commuters when the bus is coming or making sure that the bus comes on time?

genius at work?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

why bush needs to fight or start wars everywhere? to feed the arms industry by creating demands for more and expensive weapons. blood money.

many gadgets were created or systems introduced because someone needs to sell them and make a profit.

getting the bus drivers to be on time does not generate money like erecting all the screens and the whole system of monitoring bus arrival.

see all the expensive equipment to tell a person how many times his heartbeat or whether his heart is beating? they do just that and nothing more. the sickness that is going to stop the heart is still there waiting to be healed.