The perfect time proven strategies for raising transport fare

Yes there is going to be another transport fare hike, a maximum allowable under the official formula and all the brilliant reasons to support this hike. To me, all the hikes experienced so far are textbook formulas that are applicable only in this island. I have done many years of research on this matter and have crystallised the thinking and methodology behind transport fare hikes. The strategies are also applicable to other industries and services with a bit to tweaks and twits here and there.

There are several basic formulas to use to justify and raise transport fare.

1. Tell the commuters that if they want good service they must be expected to pay more. This formula is useful during normal times when the system is running normally and there is no good reason to raise fare except to 'improve services', better service. Add a few tv monitors in the train cabins, add a few monitors to tell the arrival or departure times of trains or something like these, would be improving services that the commuters can see. Hurray, train services improving and deserving of fare hikes. Got free in train movies or actually ads and also can tell when train is coming or going though in a small town when there is hardly any difference between a 2 min or 3 min wait. Nobody dies waiting for a train that is late by a minute or two.

2. Another formula during normal time is to tell the commuters how many long years no pay hike so it is time for another hike. No other good reasons needed.

3. Another formula is to use operation cost, like higher pay or higher oil prices. Never mind if the fares are not reduced when oil prices hit rock bottom. Just explained that oil prices have little effect on operating cost, or say the electricity is generated from using gas. But when oil price is up, just use it as a reason for higher operating cost, maybe tell the commuters that since oil price is up, it is good to use oil and thus affecting operating cost.

4. A more tricky formula is to hit a bad patch like daily breakdowns and disruptions, many times a day, over many places until travelling by train is affected, when train services are unreliable, when trains have to travel below the recommended or normal speed. Let the people experienced what is bad service.

Then put in furious work, buy more new equipment to return train to normal operation, travelling at normal speed and claim that it is an improvement, big improvement in service, nevermind if everything is just back to normal. This back to normal operation can be touted as improvement and thus justify transport fare hikes. Brilliant isn't it?

5. One more formula is to tell the commuters that you are hiring the best talents and paying them top dollars, in the millions to provide good services. So there is an obvious reason to raise transport fares or else unable to attract top talents for the jobs, even if the job is basically system maintenance not rocket science.

Caveat, apply these strategies and formulas in other countries at your own risk. These are uniquely Singaporean strategies that only work in our special environment and conditions.