Drastic Increase In Transport Fare For 2019

Except from Today Online...

SINGAPORE — From Dec 29, adults taking buses and MRT trains will have to pay six cents more for card fares, while single-trip train fare and adult cash bus fare will rise by 10 cents.

Students and senior citizens will pay up to 1 cent more in card fares. The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced this on Tuesday (Oct 30) at the close of a first fare review using a new formula that factors in changes to operating costs.

It said that these fare changes amounted to an overall 4.3 per cent hike, which is the maximum allowable amount of increase going by the new formula, after factoring in a carry-forward reduction of 3.2 per cent from last year. Otherwise, the increase would have been 7.5 per cent.

 The biggest contributing factor to the hike — other than a sharp 26.2 per cent rebound in energy prices — is the new “network capacity factor”, which tracks how much bus and rail capacity has changed in relation to real usage. It indicated that ridership had not kept up with capacity growth, and this accounted for 3 percentage points of the 4.3 per cent cap in fare increase.

 There will be no changes to the cash fares for students and senior citizens, or prices of monthly concession passes.

The fare reduction measure introduced last December as part of the 2017 review exercise remains. This is the 50-cent saving for commuters who pay by cards and travel during the morning pre-peak hours by tapping in before 7.45am at any train station.

 The Ministry of Transport has accepted the PTC’s recommendations. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that raising fares is an “unavoidable decision” even if it is not welcomed by commuters. Public transport operators rely on fare adjustments to keep pace with operating cost, he said.

 Mr Khaw noted that commuters earned 10 per cent more in wages in the past three years, yet fares have gone down by 8.3 per cent in three consecutive fare review exercises before this year’s exercise.

 Separately, the PTC said in a press release that this round of fare hikes is “necessary in a rising cost environment”, especially since public transport operators SMRT Rail and SBS Transit are facing “significant operating losses”. “These cost pressures have also been faced by other cities which have had to raise fares to keep pace with the operating cost increases,” the council added.

 With the hike, SMRT Rail will stand to take in S$24.1 million more for its higher repair and maintenance costs and the increase in manpower to run expanded operations and improve its rail network performance. SBS Transit is expecting to earn S$10.9 million more, which will go into padding up its Downtown Line operations, increase in manpower and salary adjustments for workers.

 The hike will also bring in S$43.2 million more in revenue to support public bus operations, which is facing an operation deficit to the tune of some S$1 billion a year, a sum to be borne by the Government through subsidies, PTC chairman Richard Magnus said.

 Asked at a press conference on Tuesday why the full 4.3 per cent fare hike is implemented, Mr Magnus said that it is to “narrow the gap as far as possible” between rising infrastructure costs and what commuters are paying. “Even with the 4.3 per cent increase, the gap continues to be there,” he added, noting that the revenue only “marginally” padded up and “contained” the rising public transport costs. “(Our approach is to) balance the economic aspects and social costs.”


FARE REDUCTIONS ‘UNLIKELY’ IN COMING YEARS

 Analysing from energy prices, wage, and inflation trends, Mr Magnus said that fare reductions are “unlikely” in the next fare review exercise, and assessed that there is little need to carry over a certain percentage of the amount of increase into the next year.

The next fare review won’t be “a negative” where there is a reduction in fares, but a question of how much higher it might go, he said. If the PTC were to bring over a 2 per cent increase, then next year’s increase will be higher. “It is better to spread out the fare increase over a period of time rather than a steep jump next year.” 

Putting it in a larger context, Mr Magnus said that public transport fares had stayed affordable “for a good 10 years”, what with the percentage of household income spent on public transport having gone down since 2007. PTC’s calculations showed that the average commuter spent 1.9 per cent of his income on public transport last year as compared to 2.9 per cent in 2007, while a commuter from the lower-income group spent 2.7 per cent last year versus 4.1 per cent in 2007, he added.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Looks like the govt had no other revenue to increase their ever greedy national funds and had to dig into every population and citizens pockets....no fish no eggs no water no vegetable no pork no haze no chewing gum no sugar drink no carbon emission no parking no bus lane no alcohol no gathering of 4 no sleeping security guard...the nation is in Decaying Mode...

I don't know how we became like this........it is as if citizens here have no say, else they can kenna sued. Can we called ourselves a democratic country.....?

Oil price fell from $85+ to $53+ & yet their tweaked fare formula sent fares up by 6cts. When oil price goes back up abv $80, will they not hike again

The public transport here is monopolised, and all have no choice but to pay what they want to increase.....Here I see meritocracy, and democracy in slow decay.

70% voted for them. I have given up.... hope more and more increases until these people wake up ! GE is the best time to make your stand .... for now nothing you can do .... so no complain

if you have read, bus fares also increase. Instead of thinking of silly things like boycotting public transport unless you drive, you may like to contribute $1 to the circus act by Leong Sze Han to register your unhappiness with the government and the state of affairs. 

only few cents nia ..u all buy Mac breakfast ,drink Starbucks but complain about few cents fare increase ..u all are xxx from smell holes lah.

For the SMRT trains , whether they got do servicing , we dont know ...
But we reported many of the SMRT buses never do servicing because we saw their buses
emitting black smoke in the exhaust many times ...
We think they are still cutting back on maintenance ... 
Or may be short of manpower like the ICA , SingPost , etc ...

Since when do citizens have any say?  
The only and best chance for citizens to voice their unhappiness is by voting for opposition parties during General Elections.

PM Lee HL said that Singapore is not repressive, and yet Channelnewsasia.com repeatedly censor my comments on their website. 
It is a violation of my human rights to freedom of speech.
Please help to share this message to anyone you know. 

One month commuters have to spend $6 more
For single trip to n fro.
Can eat 2 packets of nasi lemak
Lol

Breakdowns could be a reason for them to increase fare. Need the money to hire more engineers to maintain the trains.
Who are those idiots voted and supporting a govt to raise bus and train fares?
70% Idiots also supported water and electricity rates hike by 30% early this year .. 
To be fair. Maybe those 30% should be exempted from paying?

PM Lee Got Sued By Blogger For A Change

Have you thought of suing the prime minister of Singapore for all the bad things he did to you?

If you have, then probably you would have thought of how difficult that is. You would have considered that the AG was handpicked by the PM himself and that the AG was the personal lawyer of the prime minister. No lapdog will bite the hands that feed them.

That's cronyism. By the way cronyism like nepotism is never a crime in Singapore. In fact it was a tradition brought down by LKY himself.

So, even if you win your case in Court, you have to contend with the parliamentary whip that the PM possess at his disposal. Parliament is of course above the Law. There, you have a whole gang of cronies and lapdogs waiting to eat you up. The WP MPs will be glad to tell you more on that.

But what really surprised us is that the sibling of the Prime Minister that is Lee Hsien Yang  is chipping in to support this suit against his own brother. He is donating money to help the blogger who is suing his brother to fight abuse of power by the prime minister. This is the first time that the PM got countersued. Also, it is taking the sibling war to a whole new level.

FACTS OF THE MATTER:

Lee Hsien Yang, the self-exiled younger brother of PM Lee Hsien Loong has taken the lead and donated to veteran blogger Leong Sze Hian’s Legal Defence Fund.

 Confirming the donation with TR Emeritus (TRE), Leong said that Mr Lee was the first person to make a donation to his Legal Defence Fund. Lee Hsien Yang sent me a message that he has transferred (lo and behold he is the first one to do so into my account!) and he also suggested that I can share his action publicly.

 A Legal Defence Fund was recently setup to crowdfund for Leong’s legal expenses against PM Lee’s defamation suit and readers willing to contribute may use the following accounts:

 Leong Sze Hian POSB Savings: 064064070 Paynow: S0009739Z Paypal: ecuadortrade@yahoo.com.sg Leong had originally wanted to represent himself against PM Lee’s defamation suit but changed his mind and initiated a counter suit against PM Lee for supposed abuse of court process.

Mr Lim Tean of Carson Laws Chambers is representing Leong in both suits. On his counter suit against PM Lee, Leong said: Singaporeans must let our overpaid Ministers know once and for all, that it does not pay to sue ordinary citizens for defamation.

 Singaporeans and their children, and their children’s children will never have to fear being sued, for exercising their rights of freedom of expression. Leong also shared with TRE that Mr Lee had, after making a contribution, expressed his hope that others will be encouraged (by his action) to do the same (contribute to worthy causes).

 Mr Lee Lee Hsien Yang also said “hope this will encourage others”, “you are welcome to post that I have donated” . Currently, Leong is hoping to raise S$10,000, the same amount which TRE is also trying to raise to upgrade its ailing website.


TOP PUBLIC COMMENTS

Regardless of how much Hsien Yang has donated (a token gesture since his wealth would cover 1000s of lawsuits), his action has a huge impact on how netizens are going to move forward till the next GE. I see it as Hsien Yang has just sent a stealth but STRONG signal and it is up to Singaporeans to receive it or not. Should we continue to shut up with balls hidden between our legs or stand up, be counted and support worthy causes?

 IMHO, as it stands now, those in the ivory towers has just snooked themselves. Maybe they should fire their “sue until your pants drop” panel of advisers who encouraged and suggested the latest slew of legal actions. Mr Leong was a NOBODY compared to the plaintiff, but this lawsuit has just turned him into a SOMEBODY who is fighting for the rights of the PEOPLE. Only morons will think that Just because commoners remain quiet, they are not angry and eager for change. This lawsuit may inadvertently galvanize these angry groups.

 The 2 lawsuits are no longer a simple defamation lawsuit, it is a mini GE and whatever the outcome, the ruling party has already lost (in the court of public opinion). Even if the plaintiff were to be awarded 200k in damages, it would also equate to the loss of the number of potential voters who donated even a dollar to finance the lawsuits. What do you think?

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Not long ago, LHY n LWL have told Singaporeans in no uncertain terms with very significant keywords Bureaucrats Compliancy n such accusation was not dealt with as most loudly pronounced by the only three PMs all living at the time of their public announcement that any defamatory remarks will be dealt in a Court of Laws else the accusation will be deemed to be true n the said accuser will have to resign.

But in this case, surprising to most Singaporeans the siblings were not sued in a Court of Laws. But most Singaporeans wonder n still wonder how could such accusation be brought before the Court unless the case is heard by a Court independent of bureaucracy but who can verify its independence unless the jury system is revived n the verdict to be decided by the Jury. It is at this juncture Singaporeans realized why LKY abolished the Jury System just because a jury found a man accused of murder not guilty on lack of evidence as seen by the Jury n from then on Court verdict is totally decided by the presiding Judge.

 LHY’s contribution is thus most significant in how the State vs Leong is dealt by the Court with the decision purely in the hand of the presiding Judge n the prosecution by AGC headed by AG once faced with conflict of interest which was publicly defended by Indrani by virtue that he has a successful legal career n therefore there is no conflict of interest, which was found ludicrous even to non legal professional with objective n independent thinking as conflict of interest arise solely on relationship which is seen possible to be the very source of career success.

This is indeed more significant to Singapore than the Trump Kim meeting which is seen by PAP n not by the citizenry to be a historic meeting worth $psoending $28 millions of Singaporeans State Fund to provide full financial support at least for Kim as reported but no report whether Trump also enjoyed the same privileges. 好賤哦！ Really pathetic n disgustingly depraving for the little red dot?

Some Truths Worth Remembering

As 2018 draws to a close, there are some truths worth noting, and should not be forgotten as they can very well affect your future, and the future of this country.

1. Presidential Election
While I totally have no problem with Halimah as President, but the process of getting her there by the PM left much to be desired. There are plenty of excuses given by the govt, but deep down the heart of every Singaporean, including the people directly involved, knows very well there were enough of  manipulations to ensure she got there.

The truth is, this absolute power of the PM to manipulate and control the country, if falls into the hands, will one day prove disastrous for the country.

2. The 38 Oxley Road Parliamentary Debate and Conclusion
This is another case of manipulation by the PM to get his wife out of troubles. Ho Ching obviously had committed a very serious jailable crime by signing off as as officer of the PMO, which she never is and never was. This was exposed by the siblings of PM Lee. To go around the legal process, the PM had the Parliament to decide on the issue, as Parliamentary decision is above the Law.

We all saw it "live" on TV, the Parliament debate was a shamble, with the ruling party avoiding and the PM openly ignoring any questions related to the Ho Ching crime, by attacking the oppositions for bringing it up. The case and anything related to Oxley Road was considered closed by the Parliament.

But the truth is, Ho Ching did commit a crime, and should be jailed like anybody else who did the same.

3. The exorbitant salaries of Ministers
This is another sad truth and a case of political manipulation for personal gains by the rulers of this country. They can use all sorts of excuses to justify that they deserve those high salaries. They can even change whatever Law there is to make it perfectly legal.

But the moment you walk out of Singapore, you will find it hard to reconcile the fact that our Ministers are earning many times more than the President of America, who is the highest paid leader in the world, outside of Singapore. And the current leader of China, Xi, who is so devoted and dedicated to making a huge country, China, great again, is happy to be paid about one-tenth of the salary of our PM.

The truth is there for the world to see. But crooks like ex-PM Goh, claimed that they are underpaid. Goh of course is still a Minister despite having resigned as PM eons ago, receiving his huge salary for doing nothing significant.

World Most Expensive Cabinet

Legally there is nothing wrong, morally and ethically this is absolutely wrong and untenable. This topic is like a bad smell that can never be washed away, because the truth will always stinks for the greedy and crooked. If the govt should fall one day, this will definitely be one of the main reason.



4. Collusion and Conspiracy?

Call it any name you like, but the truth is when the husband and wife are running 2 totally separate entities, the 2 most powerful and important entities to the country, that is the government, and the other one is a privatised company holding almost all the wealth of the country, how do you ensure independence of the private company from govt intervention? And how do you ensure govt confidential information not passed on to the private company?

The truth is, there is no way to ensure that, as proven by the signing off by Ho Ching as a PMO officer when she is not. This kind of marriage of convenience can never happen in any advance countries, not even communist China. And when this couple inevitably died, this kind of immoral practice of nepotism will continue, and if falls into the wrong hands, the country and it's huge reserve are screwed, like the 1MDB case up north of our border.

Immoral Collusion

Revival of Malaysia-Singapore Water Dispute and Sea Claims

Mahathir is now back with a vengeance. Having lost the Tanjong Pagar railway station and a long stretch of railway land to Singapore through the incompetence of his predecessor, he is now given a second chance to make things right.

Mahathir have also opened another 2 fronts in his vengeance trail. He has revived the call for Singapore to review the price of water that Singapore is paying for the water from Johor, calling the 3 sen pricing ridiculous, which I must agree. But the greedy PAP ministers are not going to give up a sen (Malaysia currency term for cent).

And now we have a totally new front, the sea between Singapore and Johore on the western side of the Straits is now a hotly contested area. This is purely political, as there is no oil, gas or mineral in this stretch of sea. Perhaps a few fishermen.

Only old timer like Mahathir would know the history and evidence behind this latest claim, and he seemed confident of winning  court case in this dispute. As usual, don't expect this cunning old man to reveal the evidence to us instead of the judge.

He has also ordered at least 3 Malaysian government-owned boats to enter this area, and remain there until negotiation or court case is over. Be prepared for a long and drawn out saga. It will likely be a permanent stalemate and likely lead to more conflicts later on, as the young leaders from Singapore are just not used to handling such bilateral dispute.

In preparation for future conflict, Mahathir  had ordered an unprecedented closure of the custom complex for 2 hours on the 13th of December. They are having a drill on how to handle evacuation in times of emergency. War between these 2 neighbouring countries is looking like a distinct possibility, something we all took for granted for far too long.

Mahathir had also taken potshot at the high salaries of Singapore Ministers. He claimed that Prime Minister's pay of $20,000 is more than enough for himself. Lee Hsien Loong pay of $2,200,000 is widely publicised and he made no apologies for it, and arrogantly claimed that his pay is lower than an average CEO. We haven't talk about the bonuses and other benefits yet.

In fact, his supporters claimed that that is too low, even though it is already 5 times more than the next highest paid leader in the world, the President of USA. Being diplomatic and friendly to everyone, yes, but be humble, no. Not when they can loathe over anyone in the world with their stratospheric remuneration.

This, of course, is causing resentment among leaders of neighbouring countries and far beyond, whom they think is a form of corruption hidden in the paycheck. Karma has it, that Mahathir is now back to haunt the Lee family, just as PM Lee is about to retire as PM and enjoy his loot, while still collecting millions from taxpayers as a non-functional Minister Mentor or Emeritus Minister or whatever title he decides to give himself.