SMRT applied for fare hike, Comfort and SBS also considering it too. The new formula that we keep hearing from the news is based partly on the average wages and also the economic performance. Just see here. Exactly how is it calculated god knows as they don't provide us with the exact formula to get the 2-3 cents.

But the key word is average wages. Yes, including the wages of the local talents Elites who earn hundreds of thousands a year, including the top civil servants who earn a million a year, including the foreign talent who earn millions a year, including the boss of Creative who earn multi millions a year and finally including peasants who only earn thousands a year. However, only the peasants who earn thousands a year will take SMRT and SBS buses on a daily basis. Top civil servants can be found in MRTs during the opening and special occasion covered by Channel News Asia, Channel 8 news, Channel 5 news, Channel U news, News Radio, Straits Times etc.. And guess what, they ride for free lor.. you think they also go top up their ez-link one meh..

SMRT reported S$126.9 million earning last year and SBS S$49 million. Apparently this is not sufficient to provide us with quality transport and good customer services.


The Current Situation

1.) You still need to spend hours to take a train to their customer service center and wait to claim the S$0.50 that the ez-link machine over charged you.

2.) That the ez-link machine still over charged you after years of implementation.

3.) Peak hour trains/buses still looks like tubes of smarties - multi-coloured chocolate sweets packed densely in a decorated tube versus commuters in coloured clothings packed densely in a commercially decorated train/bus tube.

4.) That chances of finding a seat outside of Boon Lay/Pasir Ris for EW line and Jurong East/Marina for NS line is higher than winning Toto but lower than striking 4D. However I guess the odds will be better than Strike! if you play the guess who is the next guy alighting at next stop game.

5.) Bet you can't find a proper bin inside the train station (inside means inside the gate where you tap your ez-link card)

In view of the increase in income from the possible fare hike this time round. I guess we can look forward to some "improvement" in services. Just like the noisy and frequently out of order, advertising revenue generating mobile TV, the erratic but now GPS enabled ez-link system.


The Wishlist Future Situation

1.) We may have pretty girls patrolling the stations instead of security guard uncles to boost the image of SMRT.

2.) Trains will have improved brakes to reduce death toll on the rails to boost the image of SMRT

3.) Brand new trains and buses with even lesser seats and more standing space to increase income and boost the smarties image of SMRT.

4.) Toilets Mobile (with TV Mobile installed) inside buses and MRT stations (once again, inside means after the gate where you tap your ez-link)

5.) We start to have Majors and Colonels driving our buses instead of the Captains. (No wonder some of them drive like they owned the road)


Tagged: singapore mrt
Note to myself, some how the tagging don't work, ponders why...
Note to myself, now I know why..