7/06/2010

Fare cut to fare increase!

A few months ago it was reported loudly that there will be a fare cut in public transport when the new system kicks in. Only a few will suffer a little increase. It has since kicked in and this is what was reported in CNA. Source: Channel News Asia, 05 July 2010 SINGAPORE: Monday was the first work-day after the public transport operators started calculating bus fares based on distance travelled on 3 July. Those travelling to Malaysia by bus were in for a surprise. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said that under the new system, one in three commuters would see a fare increase. For those affected, LTA estimates the average weekly fare rise to be about 30 cents per commuter. However some commuters have called the Channel NewsAsia hotline, saying the fare for the journey from Kranji MRT Station to Johor is up by 40 percent – from $1 to $1.40....

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me likes this blog very much just for one reason. And that is the owner of this blog is also an elite. But he is different from the other elites, especially the Ruling Elites.

There are also other bloggers that are elites with senses of justice and conscience, why are self-claimed talented elites so different from the Blogging Elites in the Socio-political Section?

The interpretations of statistics by educated elites could vary extremely, such that uneducated Singaporeans are made to feel so lost and me am one who do not know who to believe. I thought me am lead by the wisest in this tiny dot, but, me must say, i am confused, very confused! Most times feels very misled by my very talented leaders.

Time to try a new set of leaders for a change!

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Wait,wait, Patriot. You embarrassing me now. I definitely no elite. I take train to work like anyone else. I no earn million dollar salary. Cannot qualify to be elite. Wrong tag.

Anonymous said...

Redbean my Fren;

do us the readers of the Blog a favour, please remove the Picture of the Tanks in the Blog. It makes me more sick than the Picture of the small boy who was going to get his hand crushed for stealing. It's not just nauseating, it's sickening and this from a patriot mind You! The Budget for the tanks and other armaments far surpassed that for healthcares and social purposes for the people!

Got to say the Poor Kid might not had understood the wrong of his deed and the meaning of the punishment.

Yourstruly: patriot

Wally Buffet said...

If you want to increase, at least have the balls to say so.

Singapore Power is better. Citing capital expenditure to meet increasing energy demands, it just passed it on. Short, sweet and to the point without beating about the bush. But simply obnoxious as well. I see overhead lamps being strung up at the Merlion esplanade area readying for the next F1 charade. Of course if we have no choice but to tout our F1 as the night racing circuit, we have to generate more electricity to meet the need. But who really benefits? I don't give a cow's dung as to who wins the race but I do care very much to be told to pay more for my electricity.

Here, other than the certainty of the spectre of death when you come to life's end, there is another certainty. Price increases!

Raising median income of the average Singaporean to $3300 by 2020 sounds good when your HDB apartment only cost $100k before the foreign talents descented on us like vultures. It sounds imbecilic, nay moronic when the same HDB apartment then will cost $10 million.

It's ludicrous?

Yes, I know.

Nothing surprises me anymore!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Patriot, understand your sentiment. I shot this from a photo journalist angle and think it is uncommon to see so many hardwares on our road. Yes it invokes different feelings from different people. These are indispensable toys for a country especially when we have all the multi million dollar infrastructure and luxury homes to protect. Ok, give me a couple of days and I will change it to something else.

Wally is telling the unpleasant truth. Who cares when the property prices shooting to the sky is seen as the best thing to happen to our people. It is intentionally planned to be that way.

Anonymous said...

There goes my GST credit...sigh.

Anonymous said...

That's the beauty of their arguments. They don't call a spade a spade anymore.

They are doing it the roundabout way, so that commuters are unable to find out exactly what is happening and how many actually benefited from the changes in the new fare structure. As a senior citizen, I am now paying much more than what they claimed. Never mind, retribution will come.

Sometimes I had to have plenty of salt reading their exaggerations. For example, there was a CNA report that a hundred thousand people watched the world cup matches at the airport TV. It was a exact 100,000, no more, no less. Please, do they count?

Anonymous said...

That GST credit thing is also a lollipop, to quieten down Singaporeans in the initial period of the GST increase. Remember, after this credit is exhausted, you are still paying GST, but without the credits, for the rest of your life.

We were sold on the great idea, by accepting the lollipop.

Anonymous said...

>>..after this credit is exhausted, you are still paying GST, but without the credits, for the rest of your life.

That's why they came up with "GST to help the poor" like "foreigners to create jobs for singaporean"

Anonymous said...

As a senior citizen, it is not sure how this new fare structure impact on him? As one who uses the public transport very frequently, and travels long distance, does he have to pay more or less? Before this new fare structure kicks in, he needed only to pay 69 cents regardless of the distance. It's really confusing out there, with all this revision and restructuring going on? There was a time when life was simple and not complicated.

Anonymous said...

I paid $1.05 from Dhoby Ghaut to Hougang by MRT few days ago. Anything above 7.2 km you have to pay $1.05. That's up from 72 cents (I think) before the change. which is an increase of 33 cents, or about 45%!

7.2 km is less than 4.5 miles. I think they have pulled wool over everybody's eyes, as always.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, that's senior citizen's fare.

Anon 3.19pm

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Senior citizen before change was 68c. So the dif is 37c. More than 50% increase! This is called bleeding the dead wood.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Perfectly fair. The further you go, the more you pay.

Consider yourself luck if you live in Singapore: most of the transport companies are run free-market style and they manage to keep fares down.

Compare that to Aust: govt transport companies are run monopoly-style. For me to go in and out to town and return (bus and train) -- and I live in the metro area -- costs me $7.20 by cash or $6.80 by smart card.

Be happy Singaporeans, public transport still cheap lah!

Anonymous said...

Got You, my Frens;

that's the reason me scared of them speak, plan, help or care for us! GST to help the poor, Distance Fare Charge to help 2/3 with lower transportation costs. Sold power companies so that we pay lower electrical bills. Contribution to Medisave to save our live. Pay the Parliamentarians well or they may become corrupt. Many had long wished that they are dumb so that we get to hear less craps.

Thank You Redbean for obliging me.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Matilah, if I am not mistaken, there is such things as minimum pay and govt dole for those not working. And they don't dole out $400 pm but much more.

Here we still have many workers earning less than $1000 pm with some $500 to $600. If they are going to pay what you are paying, they will be better off staying at home and not working.

Anonymous said...

Motorists got to pardon me for this suggestion.

Me suggest that there should be no car allowed except for public transports, commercial/goods vehicles, motorcycles, motorised bicycles, bicycles and those with immobile member in the families. There will be no congestion, carbon emissions will be reduced to the minimum, no ERPs, COEs or satellite trackings will be needed.

Let public transports operate in open market, such that REAL competitions will result in fair and good services. Allow smaller buses to ply private estates and within the HDB Hardlands.

We can have a more egalitarian, efficient and cleaner transport system for everyone.

patriot

Anonymous said...

Mr Matilah,

Our workers are called CBF workers. Don't think naughty. It means Cheaper, Better and Faster.

CBF workers cannot afford to pay too much for transport. Now got pay cut already.

Anonymous said...

If Matilah comes back and were to run this country, he will not be much different from the MIW.

Anonymous said...

We need warmed blooded Singaporeans liked Matilah Singapore to fight cold-blooded MIW. Hot headed people are less scheming and more self sacrificing. Patriot is calling for him to return, he/she might know each other well.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean,

The dole can be as much as $600-$700 per week depending on the amount of children the unemployed (usually single parent) has.

Someone has to pay for this. Who? Well none other than the taxpayer of course -- i.e. those people who actually work, and strive because they want to support their family without going to the state for a hand out.

Most western countries are advanced welfare states, and if you work and pay taxes you -- the productive hardworking person -- will feel it.

Singapore is still good in a sense that there is no advanced welfare state.

Everyone is responsible for themselves, and if they want to give assistance it is completely voluntary. Charity should remain voluntary otherwise it becomes a situation which says:

you have an automatic claim on the property of another person just because you are having a spate of "bad luck" or self-inflicted misery"

Welfare states don't work -- they eat into the wealth of the productive and re-distribute unfairly to those unproductive.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

PS: Egalitarianism is simply anti-nature, specifically anti-human nature. No two people on the planet are perfectly equal and attempting to achieve such ideals is futile, if not brutal (look at the socialist and communist countries).

There will always be people who are doing better than you and not doing as well as you. You have the option to voluntarily help those who require assistance -- but it is MORALLY WRONG for the state to FORCE you to do so.

Anonymous said...

Egalitarianism exists only for humans which is the only species capable of deviating from the Laws of the jungle. Maybe it is indeed too ideal, however with true altruism, mankind can come close to it; not perfect but close.

Pardon me for being preachy.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Both systems have their pros and cons. What I cannot tahan is people acting as god or thinking they are gods and pass edicts to decide on the fate of the losers which adversely affected them.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

> What I cannot tahan is people acting as god or thinking they are gods <

Then I'm afraid your only options is to grit your teeth and tolerate it or contemplate a quick and painless suicide. :-)