Profitability?

Taking a poll here among my readers, paltry few there may be:

Do you think public transport companies should aim for profitability or public good?

And don't give me the gigg style answer of "both are equally important".

Flabbergasted

so get this, SBS has just applied to the Public Transport Council for a fare increase.
wow.

http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/press/2007-08-01-02-S.aspx

so we get a fare increase and double the frequency?

right. in my dreams.

"Why didn't the Garmen do this?"

I caught myself complaining about the government with regards to the poor standards of public transport.

Was that fair? Actually on hindsight, probably not. The companies run quite autonomously I believe, from the government. Of course I am certain the government is directly involved but thats not my point...

My point is, why do we Singaporeans always instinctively blame the government for every little thing? (I find myself writing more and more in the style of Carrie Bradshaw... haha)

Actually I think its a chicken and egg problem. Our government has taken credit (justifiably I must add) for a lot of the good things that have taken place in Singapore. And they have been quite unshamedly proud of their work.

As a result, we Singaporeans have been brought up to believe that our government is responsible for our lot and fate. And that I believe, is the reason why Singaporeans always blame the government first.

Still on buses...

maybe someone is reading my blog, haha.
but today's news reported that Singapore has set up this committee to look into improving the quality of our bus system.
and bus companies would be fined apparently if they don't make a certain standard.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_144398.html

cool! but thats just half the problem right? the other major problem is singaporean's lousy attitude and complete lack of empathy for fellow passengers... and human beings for that matter.

How to solve the bus problem

easiest way which i have suggested many times, is to just move the bloody door to the end of the bus! that way, passengers would be forced to move in!

On trains, buses and the forgotten people

I used to take the train to work.

And I used to whine incessantly about how crowded the train is, how infrequent the trains are, how the air is horrid, a disgusting putrid mixture of sweat and cheap perfume, blah blah blah.
Now I know better.

I have to take the bus to work now. And my god, is the bus system bad or what?! The wait is ridiculous, upwards of 25-30 mins. Its incredibly crowded, and worst of all, stupid Singaporeans just refuse to move in! While the passengers force their way in, the people hanging around at the door just steadfastly refuse to move in, and are completely oblivious to the struggles of the people in front.

What disgusts me even more, is how our public transport companies completely refuse to do something about this. Its a situation that has not changed since the bus service started (I used to take the bus to school). Unless we dramatically increase the frequency of buses, this service is just simply impossible to use.

And because I had not used the bus in quite a while, I had in a sense, forgotten what Singapore really is. The bus is filled with the real common folk of Singapore. Yes, we rave about our financial hub status, and the beautiful Marina Bay resorts, Sentosa Cove, Zouk and all. But there really exists this large population of people who will never appreciate these things. And they are forgotten in our country's mad push towards GDP growth. I ask, GDP growth, but for whom?

Taking the bus, allowed me to see these folks, the people too poor to own their cars, or even take the train --> which I have also discovered, is significantly more expensive than the bus.

I hope we don't forget them.