3/24/2008

ERP coming to MRT? Huat ah!

Some times back I wrote a tongue in cheek piece on ERP in MRT. Now looks like this is going to be a possibility. This time it is to stagger people using MRT instead of cars using expressways. As a money making concept, this is simply brilliant. Yes there are many ways to skin a cat. Let me quote a few phrases from the New Paper. 'In Adelaide, too, public transport fares are 25 to 45 per cent cheaper between 9am and 3pm, compared to earlier and later peak periods. Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for SBS Transit, which operates the North-East line, said a staggered-fare system is possible in Singapore. She declined to elaborate. But SMRT, which operates the North-South Line, said it prefers to cut congestion by increasing the frequency of train runs.' Maybe we are safe with SMRT for the time being. As for the North east line, pray hard.

4 comments:

  1. A good idea. Price the resource according to its VALUE. Peak hour: resource becomes 'more valuable'.

    It is unfair and unprofitable to charge the same for off peak use. By lowering the fares during off peak, more people would be encouraged to use the service, possibly resulting in increased OPERATING revenue.

    They could also allow a certain number of bicycles in ech train car during off peak periods, encouraging people to use less fuel and get physically fitter.

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  2. there are two ways of doing this. one, maintain the current fare for off peak and increase the fare for peak.

    two, maintain the current fare for peak and reduce the fare for off peak.

    but we know which way it will.

    trembling in my pants. money going to fly away faster.

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  3. Now that there are complaints about crowded trains during peak hours, they will do it no matter how hard you pray. They have to, because when we reached a population of 6.5 million, the trains will never be able to cope.

    About increasing the frequency of train runs, I wonder how much adjustment they can make. There is a limit for safety reasons.

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  4. the solution when we reach 6.5m is to have only one train going around, with carriages from one end to the other for the circle line.

    think they can modify the north south line in the same way.

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