Movement for change The increase in public transport fares could have been avoided
The recent increase in public transport fares increased my fare from $0.76 to $0.80 for a one-way trip to the office.

When I raise this issue, I was not thinking of myself. I could easily afford the increase in fare. I was thinking of the many families where this increase could be a financial burden.

I have a bigger issue. I believe that this increase could have been avoided if the government paid attention to streamlining the bus services to reduce the inefficiency and wastage. 

We do not need 350 bus services to serve a small country like Singapore, especially when we already have a wide network of MRT lines. Perhaps 150 services could be sufficient. The focus should be on local services within each town and inter-town express services running on the expressways.

Some commuters may need to have one more transfer if they use bus services. It should be acceptable. After all, they are already making transfers and walking a longer distance if they use the MRT.

Quite a few people disagree with my suggestion because they are used to their current bus services which worked well for them. But if they look at how the services did not work well for other people, they will be more empathetic.

They should try to understand how a more streamline network of buses can reduce the operating cost and avoid an increase in the public transport fares.

Tan Kin Lian

 

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