Four more taxi companies are following ComfortDelgro’s fare hike and this leaves only one company not doing so, Prime Taxis. It has just announced that it will follow suit. And the taxi drivers knew that they are going to suffer a loss in income for doing so and they die die must increase.
See the wonderful logic of Sinkie taxi drivers. They don’t care about their income and don’t care if passengers would refuse to take taxis. They just have to raise their fares. But now, with all raising their fares, what choice have the sheep got. This is perfect free market at play. It is all market forces.
Why huh? Very difficult to understand their thinking. I don’t think anyone is putting a knife at their throats. The fare hike is definitely voluntary and no collusion or else CCS will come after them for anti competition. It is like volunteering for a pay cut.
What a great sacrifice. Taxi drivers are taking pay cuts by hiking their fares. It is like telling the passengers we don’t need more fares. We will raise fares knowing that income will be lower. There must be some goodness out of this act. It cannot be all bad and the taxi drivers all daft to go ahead. What is the goodness of it all?
12/21/2011
12/20/2011
An avalanche of mishaps
The recurrence of breakdowns over a few days is bad enough. But they said when it rains, it pours. It was pouring the last few days. And after the breakdowns, ceiling fell down and injured people in Sengkang MRT station. Then SMRT bus passenger fell and went into coma when driver braked abruptly.
What is going to happen next? Taxi drivers unhappy as takings fell by 20 to 30% instead of going up with the fare hike in time for Christmas. If the fare is not going up, instead of bonus and Christmas presents they are going to be angry. When unpleasant things all coming in a row, they tend to aggravate the situation to become unbearable.
This Christmas is going to be very different.
What is going to happen next? Taxi drivers unhappy as takings fell by 20 to 30% instead of going up with the fare hike in time for Christmas. If the fare is not going up, instead of bonus and Christmas presents they are going to be angry. When unpleasant things all coming in a row, they tend to aggravate the situation to become unbearable.
This Christmas is going to be very different.
The train breakdown is going to be costly
I have read some of the preliminary reports and comments in the media and I don’t feel a bit good about them. A couple of things have made me very edgy. One is that the inspection technicians are not doing enough. I can see what’s coming next. More staff needed to do more inspections.
The second point is equipment failure and more maintenance. More maintenance and servicing, more frequent change of equipment means more cost. You just cannot have more servicing and maintenance without having more technicians.
See, the current fare hike is definitely not enough. Commuters better prepare for more hikes in fares. And I secretly harbor the thought that if it is a case of mischief, then it may be a once off thing. Apparently it will still end up with more cost. More security equipment and personnel will be needed to conduct security checks, and crews to conduct equipment checks.
And don’t forget the safety equipment like UPS, fire extinguishers, sledgehammers as someone suggested. Or windows will be modified to allow them to be opened in an emergency. And torch lights also.
Whatever the outcome, commuter pockets gonna be burnt a big hole. It is going to be costly to the commuters as the profits must still go up and up.
Fat hope for those who are thinking that there will be fare reduction. Wait till they say they need to send their staff to study how other countries are managing their systems, like going to Japan or Europe, to learn from the best. After 30 years of train operation we don’t have any expert to talk about. What have they been doing all these while? We still need foreign experts who may have worked in a train system for 10 years to come and teach us and tell us what goes wrong and what needs to be done.
What a circus!
The second point is equipment failure and more maintenance. More maintenance and servicing, more frequent change of equipment means more cost. You just cannot have more servicing and maintenance without having more technicians.
See, the current fare hike is definitely not enough. Commuters better prepare for more hikes in fares. And I secretly harbor the thought that if it is a case of mischief, then it may be a once off thing. Apparently it will still end up with more cost. More security equipment and personnel will be needed to conduct security checks, and crews to conduct equipment checks.
And don’t forget the safety equipment like UPS, fire extinguishers, sledgehammers as someone suggested. Or windows will be modified to allow them to be opened in an emergency. And torch lights also.
Whatever the outcome, commuter pockets gonna be burnt a big hole. It is going to be costly to the commuters as the profits must still go up and up.
Fat hope for those who are thinking that there will be fare reduction. Wait till they say they need to send their staff to study how other countries are managing their systems, like going to Japan or Europe, to learn from the best. After 30 years of train operation we don’t have any expert to talk about. What have they been doing all these while? We still need foreign experts who may have worked in a train system for 10 years to come and teach us and tell us what goes wrong and what needs to be done.
What a circus!
Time to bash Kim Jong Il and the North Koreans
He is a dictator, a tyrant, a ruthless leader! He oppressed his people, he showered himself with good wine and good food. He is mad, insane, unpredictable. He always wanted to go to war with his neighbours, a very dangerous man.
Now he is dead, the situation in the Korean Peninsula and the world is getting more dangerous. The crazy North Koreans are going to attack South Korea and the countries of the free world. They are so poor, poverty everywhere, people are very hungry. They need help from the rich countries of the free world. Quick send more food and aid, but be careful, they may eat you alive.
Wow, now I feel damn shiok. I have just joined the free world gang of bangsters, to bang the North Koreans. Wait, wait, I need to let out a little secret. Where is North Korea? Who is this Kim Jong Il? Dunno leh. Then why have I got so many bad things to spew at him and the North Koreans? Dunno leh, I read all these stuff in the media. They all hated him and the North Koreans and wrote all the bad things about them. So must be true lah.
Dunno if the North Koreans know where is Singapore or is there a place called Singapore. But the media said he may attack Singapore. So frightening one. Better to join the bangsters and attack them first. The bangsters are the good guys and they must be telling the truths.
Okay, I feel good oredy. We are the good guys.
But why are the North Koreans crying and wailing over his death? No lah, all propaganda, just wayang. How could they be so stupid to wail for a tyrant, a dictator, a ruthless leader who padded himself with the money of the people and enjoy wine and song? Dictators like this must end up like Saddam and Gaddafi. The North Koreans are faking it. Don’t believe them and their media. This guy is bad, damn bad, and so are the North Koreans, also damn bad. Oh ya, a member of the Axis of Evil. Wow, where did I get such a wonderful phrase to describe this evil country?
Now he is dead, the situation in the Korean Peninsula and the world is getting more dangerous. The crazy North Koreans are going to attack South Korea and the countries of the free world. They are so poor, poverty everywhere, people are very hungry. They need help from the rich countries of the free world. Quick send more food and aid, but be careful, they may eat you alive.
Wow, now I feel damn shiok. I have just joined the free world gang of bangsters, to bang the North Koreans. Wait, wait, I need to let out a little secret. Where is North Korea? Who is this Kim Jong Il? Dunno leh. Then why have I got so many bad things to spew at him and the North Koreans? Dunno leh, I read all these stuff in the media. They all hated him and the North Koreans and wrote all the bad things about them. So must be true lah.
Dunno if the North Koreans know where is Singapore or is there a place called Singapore. But the media said he may attack Singapore. So frightening one. Better to join the bangsters and attack them first. The bangsters are the good guys and they must be telling the truths.
Okay, I feel good oredy. We are the good guys.
But why are the North Koreans crying and wailing over his death? No lah, all propaganda, just wayang. How could they be so stupid to wail for a tyrant, a dictator, a ruthless leader who padded himself with the money of the people and enjoy wine and song? Dictators like this must end up like Saddam and Gaddafi. The North Koreans are faking it. Don’t believe them and their media. This guy is bad, damn bad, and so are the North Koreans, also damn bad. Oh ya, a member of the Axis of Evil. Wow, where did I get such a wonderful phrase to describe this evil country?
Robbery, robbery!
This was what I heard as I stepped into the office. This guy was so agitated and they have to calm him down. I took a close look at him to see if there was any blood on him. Normally robbery victim would be beaten up and there would be blood. But I could not see any blood, no blood. As the colleagues were comforting him he continued, they are going to rob you next month of $4,500. Now this is strange. How did he know that the robber is going to rob people next month and the amount as well. He said he read it in the paper. What? What kind of robber is this. This is damn classy man. Want to rob people and still advertised in the newspaper. This calls for respect.
As he continued everyone realized that he was talking about the raise in minimum sum for Medisave next month, from $27,500 to $32,000. Shit, he gave everyone a fright. This is not robbery lah. It is a kind and proactive govt planning the money of the people, and how to protect it before they are lost in gambling and investing. It is exactly this, with such caring and forward thinking govt that the Sinkies are having such a good life, progress, economic growth and so much money in their CPF. Without such good govt, they will have no money left in the kitty, probably losing everything in gambling or in the stock market.
This guy is too much. He is so negative in his thoughts. He could not see the positive side of things. The minimum sum is to help him to pay for his medical bills when he is old. Sure must pay and pay one. Putting aside more Medisave is just being prudent mah. And the big medical bill will definitely become affordable.
And there is Boon Wan in charge, sure got no problem one. He is one of the few good men left and he would want to do more good deeds for the people and for himself. This Medisave thing is going to save 2m people $9 billion. The amount of good karma created is immeasurable. Having the people save their hard earned blood and sweat money and preventing them from squandering it away. And by 2016, the amount could be $40k, lagi more good karma.
One point I am not clear. Is the CPF Board authorized to make this $9b decision? Does it have the authority to do so? Shouldn’t this be tabled in Parliament for discussion and approve by Parliament? My colleagues all agree that there is no need to go to Parliament. When your money is my money and my money is my money, what is there for Parliament to approve? I think I have to agree with this reasoning.
So we all got together to explain to this unhappy guy that he should be very happy about this Medisave thing. It is not robbery, definitely. And come 2016 he may have $40k in his Medisave. Shiok right? And if he suay suay need a by pass that cost $40k, he can tell the world that he got a by pass for free, all paid by his Medisave. No need even to come out $8.
We can see that our logic is getting through and he started to smile, and probably feeling very good about it. Well we have done a good deed.
As he continued everyone realized that he was talking about the raise in minimum sum for Medisave next month, from $27,500 to $32,000. Shit, he gave everyone a fright. This is not robbery lah. It is a kind and proactive govt planning the money of the people, and how to protect it before they are lost in gambling and investing. It is exactly this, with such caring and forward thinking govt that the Sinkies are having such a good life, progress, economic growth and so much money in their CPF. Without such good govt, they will have no money left in the kitty, probably losing everything in gambling or in the stock market.
This guy is too much. He is so negative in his thoughts. He could not see the positive side of things. The minimum sum is to help him to pay for his medical bills when he is old. Sure must pay and pay one. Putting aside more Medisave is just being prudent mah. And the big medical bill will definitely become affordable.
And there is Boon Wan in charge, sure got no problem one. He is one of the few good men left and he would want to do more good deeds for the people and for himself. This Medisave thing is going to save 2m people $9 billion. The amount of good karma created is immeasurable. Having the people save their hard earned blood and sweat money and preventing them from squandering it away. And by 2016, the amount could be $40k, lagi more good karma.
One point I am not clear. Is the CPF Board authorized to make this $9b decision? Does it have the authority to do so? Shouldn’t this be tabled in Parliament for discussion and approve by Parliament? My colleagues all agree that there is no need to go to Parliament. When your money is my money and my money is my money, what is there for Parliament to approve? I think I have to agree with this reasoning.
So we all got together to explain to this unhappy guy that he should be very happy about this Medisave thing. It is not robbery, definitely. And come 2016 he may have $40k in his Medisave. Shiok right? And if he suay suay need a by pass that cost $40k, he can tell the world that he got a by pass for free, all paid by his Medisave. No need even to come out $8.
We can see that our logic is getting through and he started to smile, and probably feeling very good about it. Well we have done a good deed.
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