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Tag: Public Transport

  • LTA Unveils Tender For Bus Routes In Punggol And Pasir Ris

    LTA Unveils Tender For Bus Routes In Punggol And Pasir Ris

    The second package of bus routes under the government contracting model was today (April 15) put up for tender by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). But in contrast to the enthusiastic response that greeted the first package, the foreign and local operators that TODAY spoke to had little to say when asked about their interest. Of the six operators contacted, two said they plan to bid, two others were non-commital and the rest declined to comment.

    Analysts said this was because the operators are awaiting the results of the first package, which would have a significant bearing on the operators’ plans. The results are expected to be announced by June, while the tender for the second package will close in August.

    Last May, the Government announced the transition to this new model of operations, where it owns the bus operating assets while private operators compete for contracts to run routes.

    The newly released package comprises 25 bus services — including three new routes — that mainly cover the Punggol and Pasir Ris areas, and will be operating out of the new Loyang Bus Depot.

    The winning bidder will run the services for five years with the possibility of a two-year extension for good performance. It will also be required to operate, manage and maintain the government-owned buses, interchanges and Centralised Bus Fleet Management System.

    Of those contacted today, SMRT Buses and French firm RATP Dev Transdev Asia (RDTA) expressed their interest.

    Mr Tan Kian Heong, SMRT Buses’ vice president said: “SMRT Buses is pleased to participate in the Loyang package. We look forward to delivering a positive commuter experience to all residents served by the Loyang bus services.”

    RDTA’s bid director, Mark Harbridge, said it is “very interested” in the package, which it is now studying.

    “The bid process for the first package, which is being considered at the moment, was a very positive experience and it is one of many reasons that we are excited about the Loyang bus package,” he added.

    Incumbent operator SBS Transit’s senior vice president for corporate communication, Tammy Tan, said it is unable to comment since it is a competitive tender. Mr Roger Wong, General Manager of Woodlands Transport, said it will evaluate the tender requirements before deciding whether to bid.

    Transport analysts said operators could be waiting for the tender results of the first bus package to serve as a benchmark.

    SIM University transport analyst Park Byung Joon said SMRT’s low bid price could have surprised its rivals. “If SMRT is going to win the first bid for that price, foreign companies may find that it may not be as profitable as they thought,” he said.

    Eight of the 11 bids for the first package were shortlisted last month. Incumbent bus operators SMRT and ComfortDelGro — via its subsidiary SBS Transit — had the lowest bidding prices of S$93.7 million and S$125.2 million, respectively. The six remaining bids ranged from S$125.6 million to S$153.5 million.

    National University of Singapore transport expert Lee Der Horng believes that interest in the second package is still strong among operators, adding that those who participated in the first tender are likely to throw their hats in the ring again.

    “They just need to make some tweaks. Most of the content material (for the first bid) can still be applicable for the second bid. It wouldn’t make sense to walk away,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Commuters Slam LTA And SMRT, Asks Lui Tuck Yew To Follow Suggestion Khaw Boon Wan Made To WP In Parliament

    Commuters Slam LTA And SMRT, Asks Lui Tuck Yew To Follow Suggestion Khaw Boon Wan Made To WP In Parliament

    It was reported that yesterday alone (3 Mar), SMRT was hit by two train service incidents, both during peak hours.

    In the early morning, a signalling fault at HarbourFront station on the Circle Line stopped all trains between Haw Par Villa and HarbourFront. And in the evening, track faults disrupted services on the East-West Line. Track faults at Clementi and Lakeside stations caused trains to slow down from Queenstown to Boon Lay. Commuters were advised to add 20 minutes to their travelling time between Bugis and Jurong East stations in both directions as bridging bus services were activated. Services resumed about 2 hours later.

    Many commuters were, understandably, angry with SMRT and lashed out at SMRT on social media (‘SMRT: Recent train incidents were ‘technically unrelated’‘).

    In all, there were 5 train disruptions in the spate of 9 days. LTA also joined in to condemn SMRT, saying that the situation is “unacceptable”.

    On LTA’s Facebook page yesterday, it said [Link]:

    “Today’s disruptions on the Circle and East-West Lines are the latest in a recent spate of incidents on the SMRT rail network. Commuters have been severely inconvenienced again. This is unacceptable.

    LTA has directed SMRT to investigate the various disruptions and give a full account of them. LTA is also conducting our independent investigations.

    LTA will be working with SMRT on the immediate remedial actions to turn around the situation. We expect the SMRT Board and management team to put in maximum effort and resources. We intend also to review again SMRT’s management of resources and processes for the maintenance of the rail system.”

    SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek was forced to come out to make, yet, another public apology.

    However, commuters were still not pleased. They also took the opportunity to slam LTA on its Facebook page:

    Shao Wei Chui Dear LTA, you most certainly do not keep my world moving. You keep mentioning that it’s “unacceptable” but so what? All that happens is a slap on a wrist on the transport companies and a fine but nothing changes and the fares go up to cover the fine

    Leon Chow: Don’t be a joke. If you all bother, things would not have gone out of hand. Useless jokers

    Shibly Mahmat: After investigate then what? Increase the fares again citing doing this for better service. Thats what you guys have been saying. But has the services ever improve? As far as all of us are concern, train disruptions due to faults are at an all time high now..is this your idea of better service?

    Evonne Sim: LTA, what can/will u do besides telling us this is unacceptable. How many times u want SMRT to investigate/explain! How many times we have to go thru these inconvenience over & over again! n what u going to do besides having endless meetings with no outcome? stop FINE SMRT as it will not solve any problem other than increasing their so-called operating cost n resulted fare hike. don’t juz lip service, we want to see action by the authority…

    Edmund Khor: you said you wanted to improve service.. but 4 years already, and it keeps getting worse. talk is cheap..

    Ken Ong: It’s all wayang. Lta n smrt management are pretty useless. They should all step down n resign.

    Calvin Xun Hui Wong: Another classic scene of relevant authority ‘takes action’ and ‘fine’ transport company, then on the other hand transport company takes the opportunity to raise fares with support from PTC (AKA the authority) to ‘improve transport system’. Its like LTA condemning SMRT but making the commuters pay their fines. So this is ‘action taken against SMRT’ ?

    Some even asked Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew to do what National Development Minister Khaw had suggested to WP MPs during the AHPETC saga, which Mr Khaw blamed WP:

    Rongjing Zeng: “In Japan, the chairman and CEO would call a press conference, take a deep bow and, in the good old days, they may even commit hara-kiri.” – KBW

    Gordon Teo: Why Tuck Yew haven’t hara kiri yet ah?

    Jabez Chai: What is our Transport’s Minister doing about it after so many years of breakdown and while doing nothing… He are being paid millions of dollars….

    Some questioned the rationale of approving the recent transport fare hike when the train services are “unacceptable”:

    Vasanthan Kanagasundaram: Could you also review why you think you deserve a fare hike.

    Ray Ng: Dear SMRT, the upcoming fare hike in April is not written in stone. please have the conscience to delay the fare hike in light of the recent train faults

    Robin Low: LTA, please justify why you allow price hike when there is no improvement and still lots of profits.

    Still, others think that it’s the fault of the government to increase the population of Singapore quickly by importing too many foreigners:

    Jeffrey Lim: So y import so many foreigners in the first place, if our mrt system can’t cope with it???

    Tan Cheng Siong Leslie: Nothing new. Cant imagine if population is 6.9, those top ‘elite’ mgmt dun care coz they dun take public transport, to them say a few words of apology n conduct investigation for show fat salary still goes to their pocket. TALK ONLY la.. Increase fare some more? Aiyooo, i so paiseh to say tat!

    Daniel Tan: Don’t blame SMRT, LTA. Blame the people who made the decision to overcrowd Singapore.

    Finally, one commuter said:

    “Main reason why I still hold on to my motorbike. Screw public transport. Now COE high, MRT haven’t improve, wanna encourage to take public transport. Screw that! I’ll never EVER let go of my motorbike!!”

     

    Source: www.tremeritus.com

  • Improve Public Transport To Curb Car Usage

    Improve Public Transport To Curb Car Usage

    I refer to the letter “Reasons for petrol duty hikes sound” (Feb 26).

    Curbing carbon emissions and car usage may seem sound enough reasons for the hikes, but the frequent jams and slow traffic on our roads are underlying symptoms of a bigger problem: A lack of efficiency in our public transport system.

    On the day the Budget and the petrol hikes were announced, the irony was not lost on us that a track fault caused a disruption in train service. (“North South Line hit by hours-long train service disruption”; Feb 23, online)

    Other everyday problems, such as being unable to board a packed train or attempting to board a single-deck bus during peak hours, are some of the factors that push people to own a car.

    I do not own one and the writer might consider car ownership as a privilege, but with the problems many of us face when using public transport, owning a car has become a necessity, especially for families with young children or seniors.

    As the writer mentioned, an array of measures is required to ensure that our roads are smooth. Then, the best way to curb car usage is to improve our public transport and make people want to use an efficient, world-class system.

    After all, if one is going out with one’s elderly parents, would they rather be seated comfortably in a car or squeezed into a packed train without a seat?

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • What Will It Take For Singaporeans To Give Up Cars

    What Will It Take For Singaporeans To Give Up Cars

    Many foreigners are baffled as to why a Singaporean would want to buy a car, paying several times the price of a car in their own home countries. After all, they insist, the MRT system is fantastic and so much better than the subway in New York or the Tube in London. Others argue that car ownership takes on an aspirational veneer in Singapore, and people are willing to pay a lot of money to realise the dream.

    However, as any Singaporean knows, public transport can only get you so far if you don’t live near an MRT station and don’t go out after midnight. In order to really change Singaporeans’ attitude to car ownership, some changes need to happen first, like the following.

    Increased accessibility to public transport

    The occasional breakdown and daily shoving matches not withstanding, the MRT is fairly efficient. While it pales in comparison to its counterparts in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei, it does offer the quickest way to get from Jurong East MRT station to Bugis MRT station, especially considering the jams on the road.

    But the problem is that most Singaporeans live in suburban areas quite a distance from the central zone, and unless you actually live within wallking distance of Jurong East MRT in the above example, getting to the station can be a big headache in itself. I can’t pretend I’m not just a little bitter about this, as I live in an area with only one bus, which has taken up to 1 hour to arrive in the past.

    When you think about all that lost time spent waiting for the bus in order to get to the MRT station, it’s not hard to see why many Singaporeans don’t mind shelling out the cash to buy a car. Either driving to work or using the park and ride scheme to get to an MRT station can save you more than an hour each day—a life saver if you have to work long hours.

    Cheaper late night transport options

    While raising the prices of cars can deter people from buying them, those who routinely travel after midnight save much less, which then increases the attractiveness of having your own transport. Taxi fares in Singapore have risen quite a bit over the last ten years, and taking a 30 minute cab ride after midnight can easily cost you more than $25.

    If you go out for late night suppers a lot, get the urge to shop at Mustafa at 3am or work the graveyard shift but have a meagre transport allowance, getting a car makes a lot of sense. While we do have NightRider and Night Owl bus services, these are limited and operate only only Fridays and Saturdays and the eve of public holidays, presumably to cater to partygoers.

    I personally think the NightRider services are great, and if they could be extended to the other days of the week and serve a wider range of areas, going out at night would be a lot more affordable, considering the cost of two beers and a cab ride home with midnight surcharge could easily set you back $50.

    More independence and free time for kids

    Many Singaporeans I’ve spoken to seem to be of the opinion that a car becomes a necessity when you have kids. However, unless you ferry your kids around every single day, the odd taxi ride to the zoo or the clinic would probably still cost much less than a car.

    The problem is that many Singaporeans actually do ferry their kids around every single day. I live just outside a primary school, and every morning and afternoon the road gets jameed by an insane number of parental cars just waiting to drop their offspring off at the school gates. Many parents prefer to get stuck in a neverending queue of parents’ cars than to drop their kids off a 5 minute walk away.

    Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world and actually the perfect place for kids to learn how to use public transport on their own, since there’s little fear of their being kidnapped and sold as slaves.

    On the other hand, very often it’s not that kids aren’t able to take public transport on their own—but rather that they have too many after school activities. Parents need cars so they can drive frantically from tuition centres to piano lessons to Young Genius seminars.

    If kids are allowed to be independent and free up enough time in their schedule to remove the need for parents to become chauffeurs, more people might realise that it is indeed possible to parent without a car.

    Greater comfort on public transport

    If you’ve ever had a migraine, been pregnant or just damned tired after another 12 hour work day, you’ve probably sworn that you would either quit your job or buy a car. For many people, their biggest bugbear about having to rely on public transport isn’t commuting time—it’s comfort level.

    To be fair, the MRT and buses in Singapore are actually quite comfortable on their own. Nobody’s asking for velvet cushions or free foot massages during their commute. But when the trains and buses are packed to bursting point, you have to stand throughout an hour-long commute and you’ve got armpits in your face and heels stabbing at your feet, a car looks that much more appealing.

    Unfortunately, even if SMRT started being more generous about the air con on the trains and hiring smiling greeters to wish passengers a pleasant commute, the crux of the matter is that for those with a long commute, standing for an hour or more causes enough discomfort to send them running to car dealers. When you’re already exhausted from work, trying to balance on the steps of an overcrowded bus or having to grab for the poles as the driver makes yet another emergency stop can take its toll.

    With office decentralisation already starting to happen and the government making efforts to improve the capacity of the public transport infrastructure, let’s hope this problem gets solved someday.

    Do you have a car and why did you buy one despite the high cost? Share your reasons in the comments!

    Source:http://blog.moneysmart.sg

  • Public Transport Fares Will Be More Expensive From 5 Apr 2015

    Public Transport Fares Will Be More Expensive From 5 Apr 2015

    There will be an overall increase of 2.8 per cent to public transport fares following the conclusion of the 2014 Fare Review Exercise, the Public Transport Council (PTC) announced on Wednesday (Jan 21).

    How the 2.8 per cent figure was calculated: By aggregating the 3.4 per cent fare adjustment quantum carried over from the 2013 Fare Review Exercise with the -0.6 per cent figure from 2014, the PTC said.

    But fares for senior citizen, and existing monthly travel concession prices will not rise, said the PTC. The Transport Ministry separately announced on Wednesday that fares for lower-wage workers and persons with disabilities will not increase, while the monthly concession pass for persons with disabilities will remain at S$60 per month.

    “In total, more than 1.1 million commuters will see their fares unchanged,” the PTC said in a press release.

    FARE CHANGES FROM APRIL

    From Apr 5 this year, adult card fares for buses and trains will increase by 2 to 5 cents, while student concessionary fares will increase by 1 cent, the PTC announced. Cash fares for adult bus and train rides will increase by 10 cents, while senior and student cash fares will remain unchanged.

    The prices of all monthly concession passes for adults, National Servicemen and senior citizens will remain the same, it reiterated.

    The PTC said bus and train fares will continue to be affordable, even for lower-income groups, as household income growth has generally outpaced household expenditure in public transport.

    For instance, in 2013, the second quintile (the 21st to 40th income percentile) and second decile (11th to 20th income percentile) of households in Singapore spent 2.2 per cent and 3.1 per cent of their monthly income on public transport, respectively. These were down from the 3.2 per cent and 4.6 percent, respectively, in 2003, it said.

    Said PTC Chairman Richard Magnus: “In approving the fare increase and deciding on the quantum, the Council made a concerted effort to minimise the impact on commuters, even to the extent of insulating some from the increase altogether. Overall, the fare adjustments for the 2014 fare exercise are lower than last year’s adjustments.”

    IMPACT ON OPERATORS

    With the fare increments, the PTC said the two public transport operators – SBS Transit and SMRT – will have to contribute S$5.5 million and S$8 million, respectively, to the Public Transport Fund. The total of S$13.5 million is S$2 million more than their contribution last year, according to the press release.

    The Government will utilise the Public Transport Fund to provide Public Transport Vouchers to lower-income households to mitigate the increase in their travel expenditure, it added.

    “I am always very concerned not only with making transport fares affordable, but making sure that our low-income families who need more assistance will be looked after,” Mr Magnus said. “The contributions to the Public Transport Fund by the operators will help defray the travel expenditure of these needy families.”

    “PLEASED” VULNERABLE GROUPS NOT AFFECTED BY HIKES: LUI

    Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said on Facebook that he was “pleased” that more than 1.1 million commuters, particularly more vulnerable groups like senior citizens and persons with disabilities, will not experience a fare increase.

    “Looking at the overall outcome of this year’s fare adjustment exercise, I believe the Public Transport Council has achieved a good balance between keeping fares affordable for Singaporeans and maintaining the viability and sustainability of our public transport system,” he wrote.

    He added that the 250,000 public transport vouchers of S$30 will be provided to needy commuters, and the ministry aims to simplify the application process further.

    “We also have other plans on the meaningful use of the Public Transport Fund and I will share these with you when we are ready,” the minister said.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com