11/21/2013

SMRT wanting to raise fare?

What is the purpose of this fare raising exercise? To increase profits, to buy equipment, to buy trains, to increase salaries or bonuses?

There could be some justifications to increase salaries as part of the annual increments and to off set some inflationary cost. This cost could easily be absorbed by the profits from its operations. As for bonuses, the workers could still deserve the usual but for top management, how many think they should deserve more than the normal? Working extra to solve all the problems they created cannot be justifications for more bonuses for working so hard. Management cannot be rewarded for self inflicted injury.

How much is needed and to be raised from the fare increases for capital expenditure? $100m enough? Or is it $200m?

Didn’t the govt already give a cash injection of $1.1b for capex? This is equivalent to 5 or 10 times the expected funds to be raised, assuming its target is between $100m to $200m. Even if the fare hike is to raise $1.1b, this is already given. Or is the SMRT thinking of raising more after the $1.1b windfall?

This is a private company with the public as shareholders. The shareholders are as good as being given a cash top up of $1.1b and they shouldn’t be complaining. In fact the public non shareholders should be asking why the SMRT/shareholders should be rewarded with the public’s money for failing to provide a satisfactory service in recent years. The shareholders have been amply rewarded and SMRT can’t be thinking of raising more funds to account to them and reward them with more dividends.

A $1.1b windfall still not enough? Even if it has to go into the red this year, it should accept it for their less than satisfactory service compares to past years. Oh, the $1.1b not counted. This is equivalent to how many years of profts? This sum has saved SMRT from diverting a big sum of money for its capital expenditure. The rest of the expenditure are chicken feat, aren’t they

14 comments:

Anonymous said...


If we really want to encourage people to take buses and trains, the fares must be cheap not just affordable.

Anonymous said...

Even if the fares are raised by another 100%, it is still cheap
compared to other First World
Countries.
Maybe a 150% increase is
justifiable.

Anonymous said...

/// Even if the fares are raised by another 100%, it is still cheap
compared to other First World ///

Sure or not?
Where is your proof?

Just like PM Lee say "We are on your side."
Sure or not?
Where is your proof?

Source:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/pm-lee-says-%E2%80%98pap-is-on-your-side%E2%80%99--rebuts-wp%E2%80%99s-low-150126524.html

Veritas said...

All China city metro is flat fee 2 Yuan, regardless of how long you travel.

In addition, Beijing and Shanghai has bicycle track. The government encourage people to take bicycle. I really do not know WTF our elites are thinking.

Only thing possible is they are corrupt and want to seek rent.

Anonymous said...

Nationalize all transport system lah..with that 1.1B shud buy out the shareholders. Nobody shud profits frm public entity.
PAP privatised the power stns n sold to foreigners (YTL malaysia).

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean:

>> This is a private company with the public as shareholders.

That's what it is called. We live in a world where WORDS are used to change perceptions.

SMRT is a govt monopoly. So it can charge what it likes for whatever reason

The "private" part legitimizes "profit".

The "public good" part means the govt has to "protect it" for public service.

Listing on the SGX "proves" that SMRT is "transparent".

Anonymous said...

The job of the transport minister should be taking on the these operators to provide efficient services but for decades PTC always never fail to approve, accede to their demands fare increases. The transport ministry even defends the transport operators in the papers

so whether it is Raymond Lim, yeo chow tong or Lui tuck Yew nothing is going to change !
They just cannot take on the Temasek Holdings which is owned by the ministry of Finance right?

Remember all their overseas purchase were made at the expense of local commuters.
PTC hands are tied.

Anonymous said...

Ultimately the decision is made by the pap cec to retain the current structure, last time for about 20 years PTC role did not come into limelight because there was NO INTERNET.
shitty times, just bo-chap, not on the side of the commuters evidenced by their political bias towards the PAP

Anonymous said...

Long time no hike aledi.
Sugar, oil, salt and rice oso
did not increase for long time.
Primary school fee lagi lama
not increase.
And time to increase water
and power too

Anonymous said...

just take looked at the thousands of buses and taxis they bought outside Singapore from the revenues collected years after years, decades after decades as the result of PTC acceding to their demands for hikes

Why CEO of comfort delgro Kua Hong Pak wants the hike badly??

but don't tell the Spore commuters how they paid for their empire, NOT MENTIONED by Kua Hong Pak in the press:

wiki
China

In China, 460 public buses on 18 routes in Shanghai are operated through the joint-venture company, Shanghai Shen Xin Bus Service Ltd. Shenyang ComfortDelGro Anyun Bus (the operating right belongs to Shenyang Anyun Group) operates a fleet of over 300 buses. Another company – Shenyang ComfortDelGro Bus Co, Ltd. – operates more than 20 bus routes and have taken over ownership of the routes and operating assets from the state-owned Shenyang Passenger Transport Group.
United Kingdom

In March 2000 DelGro Corporation purchased the Metroline bus company in London.[11] As at December 2012 it operated 1,200 buses.[1] In July 2013 a further 494 buses were added with the purchase of five depots from First London.[12]

Metroline also owned the Scottish Citylink express coach business in Scotland. In September 2005 ComfortDelGro took a 65% shareholding in a joint venture with Stagecoach that combined Scottish Citylink with Stagecoach's Megabus operation.[13] It also operates Westbus, a 36 coach fleet in London.
Ireland

In Ireland ComfortDelGro operates the Irish Citylink inter-city coach services with 25 coaches in Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork.[1][14]
Australia
Hillsbus Bustech CDi in Sydney in July 2013.
Eastrans Denning Manufacturing bus in Melbourne in September 2013.


continue below

Anonymous said...

In 2005 ComfortDelGro took a 51% shareholding in ComfortDelGro Cabcharge, a joint venture formed with Australian taxi company Cabcharge to purchase Westbus in Sydney and Hunter Valley Buses.[15]

In August 2006 ComfortDelGro Cabcharge expanded purchasing the Western Sydney services of Baxter's Bus Lines followed in August 2007 by Morisett Bus Service, Sugar Valley Coachlines and Toronto Bus Service.

In November 2008 Kefford Corporation in Victoria was purchased followed in September 2012 by Queanbeyan based Deane's Buslines and Transborder Express [19][20] and in July 2013 by the Melbourne bus services of Driver Group.[21]
Taxi

In China, ComfortDelGro operates taxi services in 11 cities with a total fleet of 10,649 vehicles in December 2012.[1][22]

In the United Kingdom, Computer Cab in London, Computer Cab (Edinburgh) and Computer Cab (Aberdeen) operated 3,348 taxis as at December 2012.[1] Computer Cab has four brands – ComCab, DataCab, Call-A-Cab and Local Taxis, each with a clear identity and providing 24/7 taxi services. ComfortDelGro also owns Onward Travel Limited, a private car-hire business in Edinburgh. It has 160 owned-drivers on its circuit and operates an exclusive airport-taxi rank concession from Edinburgh Airport. In 2007, ComfortDelGro acquired another licensed-taxi and private-hire company in Birmingham. The company has since been renamed Computer Cab (Birmingham) Ltd.[23]

In Vietnam, a fleet of 967 taxis are operated by Vietnam Taxi in Ho Chi Minh City. Another joint venture with former state-owned enterprise Saigon General Service Corporation (Savico) for the establishment of ComfortDelGro Savico Taxi operates more than 300 taxis, a call centre, as well as a workshop which repairs and maintains the taxi fleet.[24]
Car rental & automotive engineering

In China, a fleet of more than 900 vehicles is operated by Beijing ComfortDelGro Yin Jian Auto Services. ComfortDelGro owns Sichuan ComfortDelGro Car Servicing in Chengdu. Also, Chengdu Jitong Integrated Vehicle Inspection and Beijing Tian Long Da Tian Vehicle Inspection were acquired in 2004. It now operates a vehicle-inspection centre and sales of automotive parts and components in Chengdu and offers vehicle-safety inspection and emission-inspection services in Beijing, China.
In Malaysia, ComfortDelGro offers car-leasing and rental services through CityLimo Leasing (M) Sdn Bhd, Pantas Rent-A-Car Sdn Bhd and DynaDrive Rent-A-Car Sdn Bhd. The Group currently operates 460 vehicles in the capital.[26]
Car dealership

In Suzhou, China, ComfortDelGro has a 70% shareholding in Suzhou Comfort Toyota Sales & Servicing, selling 1,000 Toyota cars in 2012

wiki

Anonymous said...

RB

With 1.1b, where got enough, recent award of 700 over million, means lesser bonus, with the big houses, cars, and children sent overseas, and upkeep their life style, no choice what, have to increase fares la.

All the top shots have learnt from the best....chartered plane etc., if boss does it, so they must follow also ma, monkey see monkey do.

Anonymous said...

$$$1million COE

$100 ERP and because of congestion, bicycles are banned from the road.

And how much will SMRT make for Temasek?

Ministers and billionaires can afford; daft sinkies emigrate to Johor and Batam to breathe while they rename the little red dot the Grand Kingdom of Lanfang.

b said...

They can because there are simply just too many sheepies in this country. People like RB is rare and few and need special protection.