Pay higher MRT fares so more can own cars?

By Christopher Tan

WOULD you pay $5 to $10 for each pass of an electronic road pricing (ERP) gantry so that a neighbour who's earning a little less than you can afford to own a car? Put in a less altruistic way, would you accept those ERP charges so that car prices remain affordable to you when you next change your car?

Lower ownership costs = higher usage charges. Higher car population = higher usage charges. These are inescapable equations motorists in Singapore should be familiar with.

On an island where 12 per cent of available space is devoted to roads, and a car population that has grown by 32 per cent in the last decade, logic dictates that for the growth to speed up, something else has to give.

It's hard to say how much ERP charges will be in future, but a former minister of state for transport (it was then called communications) gave a hint four years ago. He revealed that if ERP were to be implemented islandwide - there are 43 locations now - the average daily charge might be $20. ERP rates currently hover between $0.50 and $2.50, largely unchanged since the scheme started in 1998.

But are higher ERP rates or wider ERP coverage the only solutions to congestion? Unlikely. While there are a large number of Singaporeans who buy a car because of status, there are those who depend on the car on a daily basis for commuting.

So an excellent public transport system can also become a powerful car demand management tool. Take Hong Kong for instance. Car ownership there is lower than Singapore's (despite lower prices), but it has twice the density of rail lines as Singapore. Of course it had a headstart in mass rapid transit.

Singapore is proud of its public transport system, having spent billions on it in recent years. Nevertheless, a feedback forum chaired by Professor K. Raguraman of the National University of Singapore recently found that Singaporeans wanted more money to be spent on buses and trains. Participants felt that the amount invested in public transport was not commensurate with the amount of revenue collected from road users. They also wanted more MRT lines to be built and built earlier.

A similar argument rages on and off in London. It's been a year since motorists entering central London have to pay a £5 (S$16) toll. The scheme has undoubtedly improved traffic flow. In the first six months alone, central London's traffic dropped 16 per cent, and average trip by car became 14 per cent quicker.

Although the ERP-style scheme worked well, there is some disenchantment over the public transport system - especially the subway. Londoners feel that the scheme would have been so much more effective if money had been spent on improving public transport before the toll was implemented. This way, those who do not wish to pay the toll could then have a better alternative.

In Singapore, where a relatively high percentage of trips are still made via private cars (going by average annual mileage of 18,000km to 20,000km per car), that's certainly something to think about. Especially if ERP charges are set to rise.

The catch here is that MRT lines, while they are the preferred and efficient mode of transit, are extremely costly. Building them without a sizeable commuter base would result in higher fares. Singapore, after all, has only about half the population of Hong Kong, for instance.

In that case, a twisted version of the question that began this article could be posed. Would you pay higher MRT fares so that you - or your neighbour - can aspire or continue to own a car?

I think it is better to tax the gas usage on cars and that the tax money should go to build MRTS and subvention the MRT-fare.

for instance.
gas price in Sweden is 9 Swedish krona / per L (litre) = 2.08 Singapore Dollar.

:)

Silver cabs, golden touches

By Goh Chin Lian

Free on this ride:
- Air purifier
- Wet towels
- Choice of music

Premier, the new kid in the expanding taxi market, ups the ante by providing extras at no extra charge. It plans to have 200 taxis by the end of this year

PREMIER Taxi, the third of Singapore's three new cab companies, will take to the roads on March 1, offering passengers such perks as wet towels to refresh themselves with and a choice of CDs to listen to during the ride.

The cabs, which will be metallic silver in colour, will also have air purifiers and ionisers in them. All these extras will come at no extra charge. 'Competing on price will be literally committing suicide,' said the company's general manager, Mr David Chen. 'We want to give our passengers as comfortable a ride as possible.'

The company plans to start with 50 taxis, which it has nicknamed 'Silvercabs', and is calling its 6363-6888 hotline 'Silverline'. Its booking fee will be $3, the same as Smart Automobile, another of the three newbies, and veteran CityCab. Tibs Taxis charges $2.80, and Comfort and Trans-Cab, $3.20. Premier's flagdown fare will be $2.40, like everyone else.

The company, owned by two siblings of the Chua family which founded car dealer Cycle & Carriage, plans to add 50 3-litre Toyota Crowns every two months to its fleet. Its target is to have at least 200 taxis by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the other two new cab companies, Smart and Trans-Cab, are expanding their fleets, barely a month after they started and well before they are required to by transport regulations. As new entrants, they have up to four years to build up the size of their fleet to a minimum of 400 taxis, and need to have 100 by the end of their first year in business.

Smart, with 30 light-green cabs, plans to add another 50 by early next month and 50 more in the next few weeks. Trans-Cab, which has 50 red-and-white vehicles, plans to put 29 more on the road on Feb 25 and another 21 on March 9.

Both companies said that their takings have been good but the number of taxis they now have is too small to cope with the bookings they have been receiving. The extra vehicles will also increase the amount of money they make from renting out the cabs. Trans-Cab, the larger of the two, can meet only two in 10 calls every day on average.

The size of their fleets has limited the impact on the three incumbents, Comfort, CityCab and Tibs Taxis, which have a total of about 19,000 cabs. According to the three taxi operators' associations, the new entrants have not affected their members' takings so far, partly because business is apparently at its best in the first three months of the year. They expect things to become more competitive later in the year when the number of available fares falls and more new cabs start plying.

While the new entrants have not taken away many passengers, they have been drawing a number of experienced drivers from the three incumbents. About 90 of the 100 cabbies that Premier has so far recruited have at least two years' experience.

To attract drivers, Premier is offering $2 off the daily rental fee for every year that a cabby rents its taxi. CityCab and Tibs announced similar schemes last month. Premier's daily rental fee, at $92.40, is about the industry average. Smart has the lowest rate, at $90.50, while Yellow-Top Taxis charges the highest, $94.08.

Premier is hoping that its silver shine will help it catch the eye of prospective passengers and that the vehicles' numbers will give it a fillip. Said Mr Chen: 'All our licence plates start with the number 8. It's a lucky number.'

Originally posted by drwho

I think it is better to tax the gas usage on cars and that the tax money should go to build MRTS and subvention the MRT-fare.

for instance.
gas price in Sweden is 9 Swedish krona / per L (litre) = 2.08 Singapore Dollar.

:) Hmm....I am not too sure about the cost of petrol here...anyone has any ideas?

metallic coloured cabs..so cool!

and numbers starting with 8? LOL:guns1:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

metallic coloured cabs..so cool!

and numbers starting with 8? LOL:guns1: I dont seem to remember seeing them yet...either they are too few, or I cant recognise them as cabs at all? :D

At least theyre using Toyota Crowns, nice and spacious.

Sometimes when I take taxi I purposely wait for the bigger ones. :D

Provied you arent in a queue that is, which brings me to the discussions over taxi queues. It dosent make sense anymore for price differentiation between companies if you cant, in theory, choose your cab campany unless u are prepared to offer the unwanted cab to the next passenger in line till you see the one you want?

1 March 2004

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpWmho6p.jpg

SINGAPORE : A new fleet of 50 taxis in metallic silver colour hit the road on Monday - the latest additions to Singapore's public transport.

Premier Taxi - the new kid on the block - calls them Silvercabs.

They are all equipped with air purifiers and ionisers to offer a clean and healthy ride.

When a passenger boards a Silvercab, they will first get a wet towel to cool themselves down, especially under such hot weather.

They can then select the music they want from a variety of 12 CDs. Such pampering is what differentiates Silvercabs from the rest.

And these perks come at no extra cost.

The flagdown fare for Silvercabs is the same as others - at $2.40.

The booking fee is $3 - similar to CityCab and Smart Automobile, another newcomer in the taxi market.

Silvercab drivers will also receive their fair share of benefits.

Their daily rental fee will drop by $2 every year.

And after eight years of rental, they will get a bonus of $8,000.

Perks like that have attracted many experienced taxi drivers from bigger players like Comfort, CityCab and Tibs.

"They are very thoughtful to us, listen to us, our comments and they try their best to give us what we want."

"Maybe we try this Premier cab, we can get new life, new opportunities that are very good from this company."

"New cars are important to us. We can save time on car maintenance. To us, time is money."

Mr Timothy Chua, Chairman of Premier Taxis, said: "The welfare of our drivers, who are essentially our customers, is of paramount importance for the success of my business plan.

"Any taxi driver can come and approach me and tell me his problems, and I will handle it in whatever it needs to be handled."

Premier Taxi plans to roll out 50 new cabs every two months.

It expects to have at least 200 taxis on the road by the end of this year.

Mr Chua also commented on the tough competition, including from TIBS which plans to add another 1,000 taxis in the near term.

Mr Chua said: "At this stage, we are still too small.....we have to wait and see how aggressive they are and perform a reactive strategy, and use things in the marketing matrix to take away their market share."

On the rise in excise duties on taxis, Mr Chua said it would affect his business.

"COE will be very important. The price of COE will offset any excise duty gains, so parallel between the stock market and COE will be an item to watch," he added. - CNA

dudes..whats the petrol price in Singapore?:)

Tibs brand to make way for SMRT's

Name and colours will be gradually dropped from company's buses and taxis, completing merger with MRT operator

By Christopher Tan

IF YOU see a Tibs bus, take a good look at it. It may be one of the last times you see that yellow and orange carriage. The name Trans-Island Bus, or Tibs, will be dropped soon. Train operator SMRT Corp, Tibs' parent company, will replace it with its own name and its corporate colours of red, black and grey, completing its 2001 takeover.

Tibs was started by sportsman-entrepreneur Ng Ser Miang in 1982, soon after the Government said it wanted a competitor for giant SBS. It started operations in 1983 with 37 buses plying two services in Yishun and Sembawang. It was a David muscling in on Goliath then, with the company eking out an early existence in cargo containers-turned-offices.

Growth came from the expansion of new Housing Board towns as well as transfers of SBS routes. In 1987, Tibs was publicly listed. When it became part of SMRT, it had about 70 routes, about one-third of SBS'.

The 'merger' followed a call from the Government for transport operators to be 'multi-modal', so as to provide seamless travel. But SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa said the merger might not have been totally necessary.

At the time of union, though, former SMRT chairman Chew Choon Seng said it was to 'facilitate the meshing of bus and train services, shorten overall travel time, encourage usage of public transport and enhance revenue growth'.

Ms Saw told The Straits Times: 'Logistically, a totally seamless transport system doesn't work... Each time the train comes, it's 1,000-over people getting off. You can't have buses waiting for 1,000-over people. They'd jam up the whole bus stop.'

Realistically, the scenario would be 'get off, wait a few minutes, and get on'. 'That is the model,' she said. 'So being one company or being two companies really doesn't have any material effects.'

So why did SMRT pay $194 million for Tibs? 'I don't know the full rationale behind the acquisition. My priority is now to maximise the situation,' Ms Saw said, explaining that her task is to optimise synergy between the two companies.

And she is pleased that two years after taking over Tibs, integration with SMRT has finally taken place. Backroom operations, such as finance, human resource and information technology, have all been merged.

The final piece to be put in place is the name change, which will affect about 800 Tibs buses and more than 2,000 taxis. But Ms Saw said the change would be done gradually and cost-effectively.

2 March 2004

SINGAPORE : The Singapore government has cracked down on unlicensed buses plying between Singapore and Senai in Malaysia's southern Johor state.

Action was taken Tuesday against two buses shuttling passengers between Lavendar MRT station and the Johor airport.

The buses did not have the necessary licences nor insurance to cover passengers in case of an accident.

It is understood several passengers were on their way to catch AirAsia flights out of Senai Airport.

Both drivers had to give statements.

The unlicensed bus operations are being investigated by the LTA. - CNA

Tax-break blues for drivers of 'green' cars

By Christopher Tan

SINGAPORE's maiden fleet of fuel cell-powered Mercedes-Benzes will go on the road soon. Details of the seven cars, along with who they will be assigned to, will be announced next week at an event at the Conrad Hotel. It's likely to be a glitzy affair, with the spin doctors proclaiming how this is a bold and visionary step for Singapore.

No doubt, it will be. Singapore's meteoric growth in the last four decades has largely been driven by its thirst for knowledge. Here, technologies such as those employed in electric, hybrid, or fuel cell vehicles are exciting not only because they are environmentally-correct, but also because of their potential economic spin-offs.

If Singapore gets a head start by being one of the few countries to 'test-bed' vehicles such as the fuel cell Mercedes A-class cars, it could gain an edge in the knowledge race. The strategy would directly benefit sectors such as electronics, chemicals and software solutions.

That would justify the millions in taxes Singapore will exempt these cars from. In the case of the fuel cell Mercs, the amount is substantial as each is estimated to cost more than $1.5 million - or what a Rolls-Royce limousine might fetch.

Two years ago, a fleet of 30 petrol-electric Honda Civics were granted similar tax exemptions. The fleet is used in a car sharing/rental scheme in the city centre and makes use of a satellite-based management system. Without tax breaks, which include certificate of entitlement (COE) exemption, each car would have cost $120,000 or more at the time.

The Honda scheme met with limited success until it teamed up recently with NTUC Income's car co-op. As for the seven fuel cell Mercs (out of a total of 60 produced), they will be assigned to private institutions and government bodies, including one for the National Environment Agency. All well and good, because, as mentioned, 'test-bedding' these cars will hopefully raise Singapore's knowledge quotient by a notch or two.

What's puzzling though is why we do not have an equal approach for private citizens who want to drive such new-tech vehicles. In December, the Government extended a three-year 'green rebate' programme for another two years. But the extension did little to address the chasm between the price of an alternative-energy vehicle and a conventional one.

Even with the rebate scheme, a car like the Toyota Prius - a petrol-electric hybrid - costs about $25,000 more than an equivalent model like the Corolla. The new Prius, incidentally, is technologically superior to the hybrid Civic used in the rental fleet that was accorded the generous tax exemptions. Not only does it have lower emissions, it has options like bluetooth communications, and an industry-first self-park system.

Can we address the anomaly between incentives granted for 'test-bed' vehicles and those accessible to ordinary consumers who want to go green? Should we?

It depends on who you believe. Car-makers at the forefront of alternative power research reckon the days of the internal combustion engine are dwindling. BMW believes that by 2020, half of all the new cars it sells will run on hydrogen. Toyota also states that the ultimate automotive energy source will be hydrogen, but hybrid engines are viable choices until hydrogen technology becomes commercially viable.

But if you ask the oil producers, you will get another view. ExxonMobil, for instance, reckons fossil fuel will remain the primary power source for decades to come. What they fail to point out is there will come a time when the cost of extracting oil (from currently economically-inaccessible places) will rise to a level which makes alternatives palatable.

Here, where petrol duty is both government revenue and part and parcel of a car-control policy, there could be an additional reluctance to facilitate a proliferation of alternative-power vehicles.

4 March 2004

Budget airline said it had accepted independent bus operator's offer, and wasn't aware permits not obtained

By Karamjit Kaur

BUDGET carrier AirAsia yesterday denied it was providing a bus service to ferry its passengers between Singapore and Senai Airport in Johor. An independent company is doing so, it said.

The airline also insisted it was not aware that the operators of the service do not have the necessary permits to run it.

Mr Tony Fernandes, chief executive of the Malaysian low-cost airline, said that the carrier had been approached by a Malaysian bus operator offering to provide the ser- vice.

AirAsia accepted its proposal and decided that as a service to its customers, it would not charge for the bus rides, which it has been advertising on its website until recently.

'We relied on the representatives of the bus company that all permits and insurance were in order and all necessary requirements fulfilled,' he said.

It is not clear whether AirAsia had asked to see the permits and why the airline's suspicions were not raised by the bus company's offer, as an earlier application to operate a bus link between Singapore and Senai was turned down by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) only in December.

AirAsia had tried for almost a year before that to get the LTA to approve a direct link between Changi Airport and Senai, which would have cut travel time for passengers from about two hours to one.

The unlicensed bus service started on Monday; on Tuesday, at about 5pm, LTA's enforcement officers impounded two buses at Lavender MRT station.

One was a Singapore vehicle registered to Luxury Coach Service, which was about to leave for Senai with about 20 passengers on board. The second was Malaysian-registered and had just arrived from Senai.

The Straits Times understands that the passengers on the Singapore bus ended up taking taxis to Senai.

Mr Fernandes said in a statement: 'We're still unclear why the bus was stopped and we hope the authorities will give a satisfactory reply.'

Meanwhile, the LTA has interviewed the drivers and owners of both buses and will decide later what action it will take against them, if any.

A spokesman said that both buses are authorised to carry tourists between Singapore and Malaysia. However, their licences do not allow them to operate scheduled services between Lavender MRT station and Senai.

The managing director of Luxury Coach Service, Mr Vincent Lee, 52, said he was shocked when he found out his bus had been impounded.

He claimed that the driver had not informed him he had entered into a private agreement with the Malaysian bus operator.

Mr Lee, who spent the morning at the LTA office in Sin Ming Road where his 45-seater bus is parked, said: 'Now, I can't get my bus back until the investigations are over. Every day it's parked I lose about $400.'

The company operates a fleet of 44 buses, which runs between Singapore and Malaysia.

The drivers of the two impounded buses and the boss of the Malaysian bus company could not be contacted.

It is not clear whether AirAsia had asked to see the permits and why the airline's suspicions were not raised by the bus company's offer, as an earlier application to operate a bus link between Singapore and Senai was turned down by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) only in December.Hmm.............;)

An interesting way to reduce the number of cars on the roads?

Surge in car-share scheme membership

By Christopher Tan

A FIRST-of-its-kind car-sharing scheme started two years ago has more than trebled its fleet and garnered 600 members. Honda Diracc, known as the Honda Intelligent Community Vehicle System when it was launched here in February 2002, started with 15 cars. It now has 50 petrol-electric Civics.

Each Diracc car has an orange-blue number plate, signifying that they are on a research and development grant - from the Economic Development Board - and thus exempted from hefty taxes. Honda Diracc director Gan Kok Seng said each car costs around $30,000, compared with about $100,000 for an equivalent Civic hybrid sold by authorised agent Kah Motor. 'This grant's not forever. It's only for three or four years,' he explained, adding that it would be reviewed.

The scheme's membership reached 200 last June, and trebled after that. Mr Gan said this was after Diracc was rebranded, the time-based charges reduced, and a tie-up formed with the NTUC Income car cooperative in December. No bookings are necessary to use Diracc cars. Through a sophisticated computer and satellite-tracking system, a user can check their availability at eight locations via SMS. He gets in the car using an ez-link card, keys in a PIN and drop-off point, and drives off.

The scheme was originally meant to maximise the use of cars and parking lots within the city but members had other ideas. Most cars were taken overnight, over weekends or on public holidays. So the charging format that penalised long-time usage was changed. To improve daytime use, Mr Gan is targeting corporations, which now make up 40 per cent of members. Diracc also aims to have three more locations and 600 more members in a year's time.

Though the firm is in deficit, it is planning a business model without a tax break. Honda plans to apply the system elsewhere too, with Japan, China and Europe as possible venues.

Originally posted by huaiwei

Hmm.............;)

I think they close one eye lah..hoping not to get caught;)

But I am impressed that the authorities were quick to detect something as innocent as boarding a coach:cheers:

SBS is not increasing the fare this year but SMRT is still considering. :rant:

They have a fantastic excuse for increasing fares..."oh because SMS TRansit have higher fares"

My arse. Last time SBS Transit have higher fares was because it was reasoned it was justified to recoup the very high costs of building the line, and that the area is not built-up enough. Has this become an excuse for the other operator to up fares? And if this is so, maybe SBS is now justified to up their fares again rite?

They seem to think we suffer from amnesia. :bash:

Fee to convert off-peak car cut to $100

LTA: $700 reduction prompted by public feedback

By Christopher Tan

CAR owners can now convert a car from off-peak to normal usage for $100 instead of $800. Public feedback prompted the $700 cut, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday. The decision was taken after a recent review of the scheme, which was reported first by The Straits Times in January.

The change brings the fee in line with the existing charge levied for converting a normal car to an off-peak vehicle. 'The previous fee was pegged to the $800 discount on road tax off-peak cars enjoyed,' said an LTA spokesman. 'It was also thought to discourage frivolous conversions.'

The off-peak car scheme was introduced in 1994 to allow more people to own cars but not contribute to peak-hour congestion. Buyers paid lower taxes for such cars, but they could be driven only on evenings, weekends and public holidays.

The 1994 scheme was a revision of the 1991 weekend car scheme, which was found to favour buyers of large and expensive models. Since October 2000, they have been able to convert their cars, which bear red plates, to normal cars. About 1,000 were converted between 2001 and last year.

Owners pay the conversion fee, as well as a pro-rated amount of a normal car's taxes or certificate of entitlement (COE). Off-peak cars enjoy tax rebates of up to $17,000 (which can be used to offset COE premium or additional registration fee), and a yearly $800 discount on road tax.

The conversion option has boosted the popularity of the scheme. Fewer than 100 a year were registered in the late 1990s, but last year, the number surged to a record 920, partly fuelled by lower car prices. At the end of last year, there were 2,644 off-peak cars on the road - 0.65 per cent of the car population of about 405,000.

I wish the day will come when these cars take over the roads!! :D

Six 'green' Mercs heading here for test

Five parties agree to test hydrogen-powered cars, which will be shipped here from May; refuelling at BP station in Upper East Coast

By Christopher Tan

FIVE parties have agreed to be part of a multi-million-dollar programme to test a fleet of Mercedes-Benzes here that run on hydrogen-generated electricity. They are the National Environment Agency (NEA), oil company BP Singapore, Conrad Centennial Singapore hotel, tyre-maker Michelin and airline company Lufthansa.

Car company DaimlerChrysler, which is producing 60 of the environmentally-friendly fuel cell vehicles, will ship six here from May in a two-year Government-supported scheme to test-bed new technologies. The other 54 will be sent to Sacramento, Tokyo, Berlin and Stuttgart for similar trials. Each of the five Singapore partners will take delivery of one car. DaimlerChrysler's regional headquarters here will have the sixth.

The A-class Mercs are the world's first production fuel cell cars. The fuel is hydrogen, which undergoes an electrochemical reaction with oxygen in the air to produce electricity in a fuel cell stack to drive an electric motor. The only thing that comes out of the tailpipe is water.

The 'green' cars will refuel at a BP station in Upper East Coast Road. The pump can store 70kg of hydrogen, enough to fill up one of the fuel cell vehicles 35 times. The hydrogen will be produced on Jurong Island, using natural gas. During the trial period, the vehicles' consumption, performance and reliability will be collated. The data will be used in the development of future models.

DaimlerChrysler South-east Asia chief executive Frank Messer said that the experience gained from the trial is 'very important in resolving any outstanding issues regarding this technology. This is especially so, when all our partners are from different walks of life.'

All the various partners have their own reasons for supporting the programme. Michelin, for instance, spends an undisclosed amount on its annual Challenge Bibendum, a 'race' between cars with new technologies and environmental standards.

Lufthansa sees its involvement as part of its innovative spirit. Its regional director, Mr Arved von zur Muehlen, pointed out that the airline was the first to introduce onboard access to the Internet. He added: 'The airline has been able to reduce its fuel consumption by 27 per cent since 1991 to 4.5 litres per passenger per 100km. Our newest aircraft, the Airbus A340-600, actually uses only 3.6 litres.'

The NEA, which has had limited success in promoting environmentally-correct vehicles here, said the fuel cell Merc is a welcome addition to Singapore's small fleet of petrol-electric hybrids, electric, and natural gas-powered vehicles. The agency has a Volvo which runs on gas and petrol. Its director-general of environmental protection, Mr Loh Ah Tuan, noted that despite current tax breaks, 'green' cars are still too costly. The NEA will continue to push for more incentives. 'We've not given up,' he said.

Each fuel cell A-class Merc is said to cost $1.8 million, although DaimlerChrysler would not confirm this, saying the car is not for sale. The company has spent more than a billion euros (S$2.07 billion) on fuel cell development. It unveiled its first fuel cell vehicle in 1994, and by the end of this year will have more than 100 of them, mostly buses, on the road.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-03-04/04cyber.jpg
Out of tailpipe comes... water. That's the environmentally-friendly "waste" that is generated by the A-class Merc, which is powered by hydrogen.

hydrogen-powered cars are cool. I know that Volvo and Saab has some prototypes on the roads here in Sweden.

But you know..when people attention goes to hydrogen-fuel..OPEC starts to whine ;)

:)

Originally posted by drwho

hydrogen-powered cars are cool. I know that Volvo and Saab has some prototypes on the roads here in Sweden.

But you know..when people attention goes to hydrogen-fuel..OPEC starts to whine ;)

:) Wahaha!! Maybe someone ought to remind them that their oil reserves will run out someday, and by diversifying our fuel sources, we are actually prolonging their "stinking" (in terms of environmental pollution) existence! :D

Seems that Singapore is a test-bed for these new cars, or are they for sale?

Steering towards 'green' gas stations

19 March 2004

Pact is inked to set up 10 natural gas stations when there's 'critical demand'; but gas-powered cabs cost more to run

By Sharmilpal Kaur

SOON, motorists may literally be able to step on the gas.

Over the next two years, as many as 10 re-fuelling stations for vehicles powered by natural gas are likely to be set up here, as new incentives kick in for taxi fleet operators to switch from diesel to gas.

But there must be demand before the stations are built, said Acting Permanent Secretary (Environment) Tan Yong Soon.

Gas Supply and SembGas, which buy natural gas from Indonesia, agreed on Wednesday to establish up to 10 stations once a 'critical mass' is reached.

Gas Supply told The Straits Times: 'For a start, we need at least six to seven stations to support a taxi fleet.

'We would like to work with taxi companies to have them commit to a long-term number of about 3,000 to 4,000 taxis within the next two years.'

Setting up the stations near the fleet bases will cost $40 to $50 million, it said.

SembGas, which runs the only natural gas station here on Jurong Island, had not responded by press time.

In Parliament on Monday, Environment Minister Lim Swee Say had announced new incentives to tempt taxi fleet operators to replace ageing diesel-powered taxis with gas-powered ones.

So, until October 2006, the additional registration fee (ARF) on new taxis that run on natural gas will be just 10 per cent, instead of the 110 per cent levied on diesel cabs.

These incentives also apply if taxi operators' fleets comply with the stringent Euro 4 emission standards by October 2006. The measure aims to curb air pollution from diesel-powered vehicles.

For diesel buses, the ARF is just 5 per cent and even that will be waived if fleet operators switch to buses that run on natural gas.

Two such buses are already being tried out on SBS Service 105 which plies between Orchard Road and Jurong.

These new moves to clean up the air are aimed specifically at reducing the number of airborne particles no larger than 2.5 microns, which are mainly emitted by diesel vehicles. They can cause bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory problems.

Just one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair, they are also given off when electricity is generated, and through natural sources such as sea spray.

In Singapore, the level of such particles exceeds that of US cities such as Boston and New York.

But it won't be easy convincing taxi operators to gas up.

ComfortDelgro, which has 16,500 taxis, has been trying out nine natural gas taxis for a year.

But drivers can travel only 240km on a full tank of natural gas, compared with 500km on diesel, said its group corporate communications officer Tammy Tan.

This means an extra trip to Jurong Island each day to fuel up. The gas-powered cabs also have smaller boots, and this makes it inconvenient when passengers have luggage.

Then there's the issue of costs.

Said Ms Tan: 'Based on initial calculations, we find that even with the incentives, operating costs will be significantly higher than currently.'

Based on quotes that the company has received, she said, 'they cost as much as 80 per cent more than the basic cost of a diesel taxi'.

Review security of public transport system

FOLLOWING the tragic events in Spain where three explosions ripped a train during rush hour last Thursday, killing 200 commuters and injuring about 1,000, it is timely to review the safety of Singapore's public transportation, especially its extensive MRT network.

Since Sept 11, 2001, the Government has beefed up security at many places. However, it seems that the same vigilance has not been extended to the MRT stations and trains. The security of the MRT seems to have been left in the hands of the train operators.

There is also little public education to make commuters more alert to suspicious objects or persons, or to prepare them to handle emergencies.

I would like to suggest that the following measures be taken to safeguard public transport from terrorist attacks:

- Set up a Transportation Police Branch - different from the Traffic Police - comprising both police officers and rail workers trained by police, to boost the security of public transportation networks. These officers will patrol MRT stations, trains and also bus interchanges.

- Review areas of potential vulnerability.

- Conduct an extensive public-education programme to inform commuters how to react in the event of a disaster.

I am sure that many people using the MRT are ignorant of the steps to take should there be a terrorist attack.

LIEW KAI KHIUN
London,
United Kingdom


MY SYMPATHY goes out to Spain and its people for having to endure the intolerable crime committed by terrorists. We were reminded by Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng in Parliament that Singapore remains a prime target for international terrorists.

Being a user of public transport, I can't help but be concerned about the security of the system. Public transport seems to be a popular target of terrorists.

I would like to know how our public-transport system is secured and how, as a member of the public, I can help in its security.

WONG WENG FAI

The fares are affordable, really

Have bus and MRT fares risen faster than wages? This is an edited transcript of Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong's replies to MPs in Parliament last week.

PUBLIC transport fare revisions, no matter how small, never fail to ignite extensive and emotionally charged public debates. The Public Transport Council (PTC) is responsible for assessing fare revision applications by the public transport operators... It is a very delicate balance between safeguarding the commuter interests and ensuring the financial viability of the public transport operators.

It is a difficult and very unenviable task, but it is a very important one. And I am indeed glad that the PTC members have carried out this very difficult task in an outstanding manner. The PTC is currently guided by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + X formula. The formula sets the cap for fare increases each year, and was first implemented in 1998. The value of X takes into consideration cost increases and discounts for productivity. I think this latter part is very important because if the operators do not gain from the productivity improvements, then really there's no reason for them to look into improving their productivity.

The PTC has safeguarded commuters' interests very well under the CPI+X framework. Since the adoption of the formula six years ago, public transport fares have increased by a total of about 5 per cent. This is much lower than the cap of 15 per cent allowed under the CPI+X formula, and certainly much lower than the 20 per cent increase in average wages over the last six years.

Although the CPI+X formulation has worked out well, it is timely to review the fare review framework, and to see how it can be further improved. And I think this is especially so because the current value of X in the formula will expire next year.

I am therefore very happy to inform this House that I intend to appoint Mr Chay Wai Chuen (Tanjong Pagar GRC) as chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, to form a committee to undertake this review. The review committee will study and propose improvements to the framework for the annual fare review exercise, including the CPI+X formulation. The outcome of the review should be a framework that continues to achieve a good balance between affordable fares and sustainable public transport operations.

I look forward to the committee completing its work within a year. My ministry and the PTC will support the secretariat and the other support for the work of the committee. I hope Mr Chay will be kind enough to undertake this very challenging assignment.

WRONG PERCEPTION

MANY people appear to have the perception that public transport costs have gone up significantly over the years. It is therefore important for me to assure members of the House as well as the public that this is not so.

Between 1987 and 2002, average wages went up by 136 per cent. But for an average 8km trip, bus fares went up by only 14 per cent, from 90 cents to $1.03 and train fares by 30 per cent, from 80 cents to $1.04. Therefore, we should commend the operators for having done a good job of providing a service that is even more affordable today compared to 17 years ago relative to average wages. Members will also be happy to know that SBS Transit has indicated it would not be applying for a fare adjustment this year and I think this is indeed good news for commuters.

Moving forward, we will continue to work with the operators to help them lower costs.

The perception that transport fares have been going up and going up rapidly, and therefore becoming unaffordable, is very much a misplaced one. Fares have gone up much less than the average wage increases over the last 17 years. Public transport expenditure as a proportion of household expenditure has decreased from 5.1 per cent in 1988 to 4 per cent in 1998. In 1988, the household income was $642 for the 20th percentile. And 10 years later in 1998, the 20th percentile income had gone up, had more than doubled, to $1,368.

What this means is that with regard to the lowest 20th percentile, the impact on them has been that fares have become a lot more affordable.

It's no go for these road studs

THESE blinking lights do a good job of warning motorists of the twists and turns of Eng Neo Avenue, off Dunearn Road. But you won't see these solar-powered Intelligent Road Studs on other roads any time soon.

A two-year trial that ended last year concluded that the studs, which light up only when it is dark, are just too expensive. They cost the Land Transport Authority (LTA) $30,000 to install, seven times more than regular reflectors, which the LTA reckons are adequate, since local roads are lit well enough. But the studs will continue to serve Eng Neo Avenue.

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Originally posted by huaiwei

It's no go for these road studs

THESE blinking lights do a good job of warning motorists of the twists and turns of Eng Neo Avenue, off Dunearn Road. But you won't see these solar-powered Intelligent Road Studs on other roads any time soon.

A two-year trial that ended last year concluded that the studs, which light up only when it is dark, are just too expensive. They cost the Land Transport Authority (LTA) $30,000 to install, seven times more than regular reflectors, which the LTA reckons are adequate, since local roads are lit well enough. But the studs will continue to serve Eng Neo Avenue.

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so expensive! :eek2:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

so expensive! :eek2: But very pretty effect!! :D What a pity. ;)

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Yup I saw those and I feel they add a visible sense of security.

I think marshals on MRT trains sounds ridiculous I mean I feel really safe on the MRT, but perhaps it is better to take all measures you never can be too safe...

yea.....I agree.....actually having visible guards on the MRT is kinda a good idea to deter would-be-terrorist. In fact having seen guards at every BKK's Skytrain station......I think these terrorist would think twice before going about on their errants. ;)

And having extra personnel would mean that there are extra eyes to spot suspicious-looking packages or bags that could contain nerve agents or bombs.

It might looked a bit strange and awkward having security personnels around but it is better to be safe........ :) .... At least it could deter pick-pockets or snatch thives too! :D

Originally posted by huaiwei

But very pretty effect!! :D What a pity. ;)


yea I really like the effects! ;) .....there's a pretty long stretch coming down from Genting Highlands that have these........I love em! Drivin on em seems like you're landing your 'car' on the airport runway! :D .......and they come in multiple colours! :lol:

Originally posted by szehoong

yea I really like the effects! ;) .....there's a pretty long stretch coming down from Genting Highlands that have these........I love em! Drivin on em seems like you're landing your 'car' on the airport runway! :D .......and they come in multiple colours! :lol: Wah...and how much does it cost for such a long stretch? :eek: That stretch on the road here is only a few hundred metres or so! :D

This is very belated, but helps to answer drwho's earlier qn about pump prices? :D

Dearer crude oil ups pump prices

WITH crude oil prices at their highest in over a decade, road users will have to get used to higher pump prices.

From today, diesel at American oil giant ExxonMobil's 77 stations will cost an extra three cents a litre. The increase - the third since December - brings the diesel price to 76.2 cents a litre. With today's increase, the price has now risen by nine cents a litre since December.

Even so, industry sources insist, pump rates still lag behind product prices. Brent crude for instance, has gone up by about US$8 (S$13) a barrel since last June to US$34.

'A US$1 per barrel increase in product price roughly translates to a one-cent increase in pump price here,' one source said. Between December and last month, petrol prices rose by 10 cents a litre; and diesel, by six cents a litre.

Oil companies have also cut back on the discounts they offer at selected sites, from about 13 per cent in the latter half of last year, to just 6 per cent early this year.

Meanwhile, transport operator ComfortDelGro has been charging its cabbies 36 per cent more for diesel since last June. But its rates are still slightly lower than what oil companies charge, even with discounts of 15 to 18 per cent.

Taxi firm Smart shows interest in natural gas cabs

In support of Govt's green project, it's in talks with SembGas to open CNG refuelling station

By Christopher Tan

SMART Automobile, one of the three new taxi operators here, has been the first to show a keen interest in the Government's incentive package for compressed natural gas (CNG) cabs. It is also eyeing the CNG retail business.

The company, which has 130 taxis on the road, met representatives from the National Environment Agency and gas supplier SembGas on Thursday for talks.

'Somebody has to start,' said Smart Automobile managing director Johnny Harjantho. 'If we wait for things to settle, we might miss the opportunity. No risk, no gain.'

The company has done a cost analysis based on incentives offered by the Government, which include lower additional registration fees and road tax, and savings on diesel tax.

'Assuming that there won't be any tax on CNG in the future, we think we can save up to $9.21 a day per cab,' Mr Harjantho said.

The analysis assumes that the pre-tax cost of a CNG cab will be 85 per cent higher than a normal diesel cab. But the actual cost could well be lower.

Mr Harjantho, who also runs a car rental business here and a taxi service on Batam, revealed that he is also in talks with SembGas to open a CNG refuelling station.

He realises the capital outlay will be high. 'Maybe we won't be profitable for the first five years,' he said. 'But this is a very long-term business.'

The businessman said he supported the Government's green programme.

'There's no reason why a cosmopolitan city like Singapore still uses diesel,' he said, pointing out that many other cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo and London have switched or are switching to CNG or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for public transport.

Smart Automobile aims to have 1,000 to 2,000 CNG cabs by next year when its planned CNG station should be ready.

'We're told that it will take six to nine months to build a station,' Mr Harjantho said.

The other taxi operators remain lukewarm to the CNG initiative, though.

Mr Timothy Chua, chairman of Premier Taxi, the company that runs Silvercab taxis, cited the lack of a refuelling infrastructure and the cost of CNG vehicle spare parts as deterrents.

'We're also too busy with our existing business to look at anything new at the moment,' he said, adding that the company is now processing 'over 1,000 new driver applications'.

Ms Ellen Teo, general manager of Union Energy, the LPG supplier that runs Trans-Cab, said the company was not yet interested in buying CNG cabs.

'We're in the LPG business and we're also a licensed diesel retailer,' she said.

Industry sources said the revenue derived from diesel sales may be a reason established cab operators are not jumping at the opportunity to switch to CNG cabs.

For instance, ComfortDelgro Corp, Singapore's biggest cab operator with 16,500 vehicles, sold $72 million worth of diesel to its drivers last year.

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Smart Automobile, one of three new cab operators here, thinks it can save up to $9.21 a day per cab once it switches to CNG.

612 jobs lost in Comfort-DelGro merger

By Christopher Tan

A TOTAL of 612 jobs were trimmed after taxi operator Comfort Group merged with bus company DelGro Corp last April.

The redundancies made up 4 per cent of the merged group's staff strength of about 15,000, of which more than 10,000 are Singapore-based.

In the group's inaugural annual report which was released to the press yesterday, group chairman Lim Jit Poh said: 'In all, 612 staff members left us and were not replaced. The cost of this was about $19 million.'

However, he said the group would save $27 million a year on staff costs from the leaner workforce.

The group refused to say how many of the 612 employees were retrenched, but Mr Lim said those who left included those 'who could not cope with the added responsibilities' of the merger.

He also revealed that there were layoffs as a result of changes such as the introduction of the North-East MRT line, 'which affected the bus business'.

'There were also retrenchments because we had become complacent and had an excessive head count,' he said.

He added that some of this pertained to overseas units.

Finally, Mr Lim said 'some retrenchments consequent to the merger were inevitable'.

When contacted, the chairman said that overall, the year-old merger had been positive, as the market capitalisation of ComfortDelGro was now 'almost double' that of the two companies before they came together.

ComfortDelGro is now worth $2.39 billion on the stock market.

This compares with a combined worth of $1.24 billion before the merger.

Shareholders should be glad, he said.

The group's biggest shareholder is the Singapore Labour Foundation, with an 18.43 per cent stake.

Those green cabs look nice, but hardly see any on the roads yet.

No sign of let-up in scrapping of cars

Number of vehicles deregistered in this year's first quarter 14% higher than last year's; 300,000 shipped out since 1998

By Christopher Tan

THEY predicted it would stop in 2002; it did not. Then they said it would end for sure by 2003. Again, it did not. So when motor traders claimed the phenomenon of scrapping cars prematurely would definitely taper off come 2004, no one paid much attention.

Rightfully too. Deregistrations in the first quarter hit a high of 30,025, with an average of 10,000 vehicles scrapped each month, or more than 300 per day.

This was 14 per cent higher than the same quarter last year.

From 1998, the year the practice started to escalate, to last month , more than half a million vehicles have been deregistered in Singapore.

About 330,000 of them were cars, and an estimated 250,000 were five years old or newer.

The trend has created a new industry in Singapore: vehicle export.

Those in the trade estimate Singapore exported up to 300,000 vehicles in the last five years. That is more than what an up-and-coming car-producing country like Thailand managed in the last two years.

'This has become a big business, and it will become even bigger,' predicted a partner of car-exporter Prime Leasing, Mr Neo Nam Heng.

The Land Transport Authority assigned four zones for export-processing a year ago. Deregistered vehicles are kept there until overseas buyers are found for them.

Located in Jurong (two zones), Tuas and Kranji, each zone holds between 450 and 800 cars.

But space is running out fast. This week, the operators got permission to expand their lots.

So far, two of the zone operators have spread out. Prime Leasing can now take in at least 1,800 cars, double its limit, while Forward Motors has raised capacity from 500 to 900 cars.

Forward's managing director, Mr Lee Choon Khim, said that even this 'will be filled up very soon' as the operators are collecting more than they are selling.

He said cars exported from Singapore - in demand because they are well-kept, well-equipped and have low mileages - are already 'creating a little impact' on a traditional used-car exporter like Japan.

The cars are exported to places like Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Thailand and New Zealand.

He predicts premature de- registration will slow down once certificate of entitlement prices climb. Car COEs are now $3,000 higher on average than they were six months ago.

But private exporter Jerry Low reckons the trend will continue for some time because the Government has said it will lower the upfront cost of owning a car.

Who would you believe?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SELL OR EXPORT?

DON'T know whether to sell or to export? Here's a guide.

Generally, if your car was bought with a high COE, a high loan interest rate and has a high scrap rebate, it should be deregistered and exported.

To find out how much rebate it gets, log on to www.onemotoring.com.sg and go to the top frequently asked question, 'How much is the Parf/COE rebate upon deregistration?'. Then click the icon in Step 3.

And to find out how much your car will fetch abroad, here are four exporters to call: Forward Motors (6367-3878/6465-4466), Prime Leasing (6863-2252), Export Processing Zone (6262-6033) and Sembawang Kimtrans (6210-2129/6210-2164).

If the sum of the rebate and export value is higher than what the car is worth on the resale market here (check against rates in The Straits Times Classifieds), deregister it for export.

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Transport operator SMRT has decided not to raise its train and bus fares this year.

SMRT made known its decision on Friday, the eve of the deadline to apply to the Public Transport Council for any fare hike.

There has been widespread speculation that SMRT is heading that way.

Fares were last raised two years ago amidst much controversy and unhappiness.

ComfortDelgro and SBS Transit assured commuters early on they won't raise fares this year.

But as the May 1 deadline to apply for fare increases loomed, speculation was rife that SMRT might take a different track.

For SMRT, which hasn't raised fares for two years and which has been facing higher cost pressures due to SARS, GST absorption and the start of North East Line, the pressure has been to at least ask for something.

But after mulling over the figures and fares for two months, SMRT decided to back down from asking for any increase.

The reason: times are still tough.

"We've never come out to say that we are (raising fares). We are mindful of the fact that the economic situation is recovering but it is still uncertain in the near future and there are a lot of commuters who have hardships," said SMRT president Saw Phaik Hwa.

SMRT added that to ease the financial burden of commuters, it will continue to absorb the one percentage point increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST).

But were there other forces keeping fares at current levels?

"There are always pressures because nobody likes fare increases. We look forward to a time when there is a formula where increases are given in small steps, not painful and not a political situation," Ms Saw said. - CNA

The car repo man is busier than ever

Bigger yards are needed for recovered cars - many fairly new; sources reckon repossessions easily top 10,000 a year

By Christopher Tan

THE repo man is back. And he is busier than ever, judging by the bigger car yards that repossessed cars are being parked in, and that these pounds are now in plain view.

Take the example of the converted carpark outside Haw Par Villa in Pasir Panjang. It has about 200 repossessed cars lined up, many of them belonging to credit company SDL Leasing.

Previously, repo men were quite covert in their operations, and kept repossessed vehicles in obscure spots well hidden from the public eye. Fenced-up industrial areas were a favourite choice.

The move to more open areas 'shows that other discreet places are filled up', a consumer bank officer said.

The growth of car repossession companies is another hint that business is brisk.

For example, established player Hwa Keat Vehicle Repossession Service has more than trebled its storage capacity from five years ago.

'Now, we have space for 700 cars,' said Mr Kelvin Teo, a manager at Hwa Keat. 'I would say we're one of three biggest companies here. We have 20-plus people.'

Though there are no official figures, industry sources reckon there are easily over 10,000 repossessions a year here. The police, which have to be informed of each repossession, do not collate figures for public consumption.

Banking sources said the deregulated vehicle-financing market has contributed to more cars being repossessed. With almost no down payment required in some cases, many people who can't quite afford to own a car are tempted into buying one anyway.

Thus, lenders are faced with many new clients - and so are more conservative when they miss instalment payments. Under the law, the lender has a right to repossess if the car owner fails to make good his late payment within 14 days of receiving a notice from the lender. But in practice, lenders tend to give repeat customers some leeway.

Repossessed cars are kept in a pound until dues are paid. If the borrower cannot pay up, the vehicle is put up for sale, usually via auction.

Also, the repossessed vehicles are much newer. 'More than 60 per cent are new cars,' said Hwa Keat's Mr Teo. Mr Jerry See of repo firm J.S. Recovery concurred. 'Many are two to three years old. Sometimes we see cars that are just a few months old,' he said.

The repo men are not complaining. Mr See, a veteran with over 10 years of experience, said more are going into the business now because 'the economy is not so good'.

Many are just one-man operations.

Mr See has a team of six today. He said he recovers about 200 cars a month, and is paid $200-$250 per car by the bank or finance company.

'If the car has been driven to Malaysia or even Thailand, the price will be higher, of course. And if the car owner is nasty or a gangster type, the price will be different too.'

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Over 200 repossessed cars are parked in the converted carpark near Haw Par Villa. -- WONG KWAI CHOW

Income's car co-op plans overseas tie-up

By Ho Ka Wei

CAR sharing is getting so popular that NTUC Income , which runs the largest car co-operative here, is shifting gears to drive the idea farther to places like Malaysia and Hong Kong within a year.

Income's chief executive Tan Kin Lian told The Straits Times yesterday that the Car Co-op is working with partners, and that the idea may be realised 'within a year'.

As a measure of its popularity, the subsidiary of NTUC Income has more than 4,000 members now, up from the 50 it started with in 1997.

In the first quarter of this year alone, 500 new members joined, compared with 200 in the same period last year.

Since 1997, the co-operative has also gone from having four cars and one pick-up point to 131 vehicles at 40 areas.

It plans to expand further by the end of the year - to 6,000 members, 160 cars and more than 50 pick-up locations.

With this growing interest in car sharing, said Mr Tan, it will mean that more cars - even premium ones - will be added to the co-operative's fleet.

For example, it added an Alfa Romeo 146 yesterday to its stable, which includes Mitsubishi, Toyota and Nissan sedans.

Car Co-op is one of five such outfits here. The others are CitySpeed, part of ComfortDelGro Corp, Honda Diracc, WhizzCar and Hertz.

Car Co-op general manager Lewis Chen said a trial to allow cross-sharing of cars with the latter two firms has started. This means another 46 cars could potentially be used by Income's members.

At the co-operative's first family day yesterday, which included a car rally to heritage spots in Singapore, Mr Tan, 55, told The Straits Times: 'People with small cars may also want to join, just to drive an Alfa or try other cars for the fun of it.

'If I were 30 years younger, I would want to rent a car like that and drive my girlfriend around.'

The chance to drive different cars is certainly a strong selling point for Mr Koh Choon Nguan, 50, and his family, who are all members of the scheme.

He and his wife, property agent June Sim, 49, scrapped their Hyundai last year and might not buy a replacement.

Joining the co-op means the family can sample different makes, he said, as well as avoid squabbles over who gets to use the family car.

READING ON THE JOB:

I was at Outram Park MRT station on April 22 at about 6.30pm to take the train to Tampines. As the train pulled into the station, I saw the driver had a book sitting snugly on the steering wheel. I had a good view of his cabin as I was at the front end of the platform.

It is all very well if nothing untoward happens. But can someone driving a train and reading a book at the same time spot potential hazards? And if he can, will he react in time to avert disaster?

CHRISTINA TIANG (MS)

:eek: :eek:

Train, bus fares unlikely to rise this year

TRAIN and bus fares are unlikely to go up this year.

SMRT Corporation, which runs the North-South and East-West MRT lines as well as Tibs buses, said yesterday that it will not apply to the Public Transport Council for a change.

Neither will SBS Transit, which runs SBS Transit buses and the North-East MRT Line.

It had said in March that it would not do so.

SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa said the company's revenue declined in the last financial year.

This was because of Sars, absorbing the goods and services tax (GST), the impact of the North-East Line and an overall increase in operating costs.

'However, we're mindful the economy is only starting to mend and commuters are still facing hardship,' she said.

She added that SMRT, which did not ask for any fare increase last year, will continue to absorb the one percentage point increase in GST made last year and again this year.

On Wednesday, the company reported a 24.2 per cent rise in net profit to $89.5 million, despite turnover dipping 2.7 per cent to $667.3 million.

However, commuters will eventually have to help share the cost of upcoming security measures for buses and trains with transport operators.

Traditionally, the approval of the Public Transport Council, for requests to raise fares, is based on an operator's performance in the previous year, not on projected increases in costs.

I hope they don't raise the price next year too.....:D

I hope they don't raise the price next year too.....:D
This year's promise usually means they have an excuse next year. We can only hope for the best....

This year's promise usually means they have an excuse next year. We can only hope for the best....

Actually sekali....after three months they'll raise it.....haha.....:D

Woah and the response from "the others" are "enormous"....haha....:D

Three months? Why three?

Three months? Why three?

Just came out of my mind....nothing statistical about it.....:D

MAY 6, 2004

That's what commuters waste in unclaimed refunds and underused cards, among other things

By Christopher Tan

PUBLIC transport commuters 'throw away' about $10 million each year in unused fares.

This is mainly in unclaimed refunds from the now defunct magnetic farecard, underused student concession cards, unreturned single-trip tickets, and lost cards.

SMRT Corp reported last week that its income in the past financial year had been boosted by unused fares amounting to nearly $10 million.

At SBS Transit, unused fares average $2.5 million a year.

In all, since 2000, the sums to both operators total about $40 million.

On top of that, The Straits Times understands, farecard company TransitLink is sitting on $10 million more in unclaimed refunds. The company, a joint venture between the two operators, was unable to comment.

Short of ringing a bell on every street corner, the operators have put in place refund avenues. For instance, TransitLink's website said refunds for magnetic farecards - now replaced by contactless ez-link cards - will be given at 10 designated ticket offices until the end of next month.

From July 1, refunds can be claimed only at the TransitLink head office at Buona Vista MRT station.

Refunds can be made on cards within four years from the day they were bought or last topped up.

The magnetic card was phased out by the end of 2002.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) reckons more can be done.

'The present system of getting a refund is very cumbersome and many consumers do not have the time,' said Case president Yeo Guat Kwang.

'It may also be costly as consumers have to incur transport costs travelling to designated locations to get the refund.'

He suggested using post offices and banks as well.

Most commuters interviewed said they were either not aware of refund policies, or the amounts left on their cards were too small for them to bother.

Ms Ivy Ong, 38, a fashion merchandiser, said it is just 'laziness' that she hasn't claimed a refund.

'Maybe I should go look for them. I think I have a few lying around,' she said, expressing surprise that so much money was waiting to be claimed.

Marketing executive Quek Kar Lian, 27, was not aware she can get a refund.

'Anyway, my balances are negligible. Who knows? One day, I may be able to sell them as collectibles,' she said.

Mr Francis Tan, 43, who teaches in a private school, said he and his wife have three magnetic cards with a total balance of between $6 and $7.

'We'll keep them as souvenirs,' he said. 'It's a hassle to queue up for refunds. It requires time, effort and money.'

He is prepared to let the operators keep the money, unless the refund can be sent by post.

Civil servant Yip Pei Shang, 26, has 10 farecards. 'I used two of them regularly and maybe each still has $5 or so left. The rest are commemorative cards, with $2 on each.

'I'd go for refunds if the balance was high, like more than $10, and if it was convenient to do so. As it is, the amount is small to me and I don't mind it going to the transport companies so they can have better profits and maybe improve services.'

If the refunds are not claimed by 2006, the money will be booked into the operators' bottom line as unused fares.

Transport companies said income from other forms of unused fares is largely an accounting phenomenon.

A spokesman for SMRT Corp said: 'It's really accounting treatment. Most of it is from 'unused' trips in concession passes, which are actually subsidised by full-paying commuters.'

For instance, student concession passes - fixed-price cards that are topped up each month - allow for unlimited bus rides and a maximum of four train rides a day.

If the holder makes only two train trips a day, the other two are recognised as unused fares because the money was technically for four rides a day, the spokesman explained.

A secondary school student pays $27.50 a month for a bus concession pass, $25 for a train pass and $52.50 for a bus/train pass.

'Commuters will decide for themselves whether it is worthwhile to buy concession passes,' said the SMRT spokesman. 'Obviously, if they make fewer than two trips a day, they won't.'

Still, observers and users wonder if there can be a card which accumulates unused trips for later use.

Said polytechnic student Jasper Tan, 19, who buys a monthly $97 bus/train pass for tertiary students: 'There are days when I travel a lot and I think they compensate for my lighter days. But for days when I don't travel at all, I feel they should let me roll over my credit.'

MP Chay Wai Chuen, who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said: 'Perhaps we should find ways and means to link up to another stored value card so the unused fares are not wasted.'

Meanwhile, Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said one way to encourage people to turn in their farecards is to set up charity bins at train stations.

He said: 'As the total amount is large, one way would be for the Government to pass legislation to say that any amount unclaimed should be donated to charity.'


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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

10 million really isn't much. it's $2.50 per person which is quite... conceivable.

Cracy nut. They should be donated to charity!

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 06 May 2004 2033 hrs


By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia


SINGAPORE : Automaker Mercedes Benz has brought into Singapore a 'green' bus that runs on environmentally friendly gas instead of diesel.

The green bus looks like any other bus except that instead of a fuel tank, the bus has gas cylinders on its roof, weighing over 200 kilogrammes.

It meets very strict European emission standards, which will be implemented in Singapore from October 2006.

Singapore is introducing these strict standards to cut down on fine particulate emissions - from diesel buses and taxis.

Ahead of that, Mercedes Benz is showcasing its newest model to authorities and bus operators.

Although the bus is cleaner, it is also more expensive. The green bus is about $120,000 more expensive than a diesel bus. Operating costs are generally also about 30 percent higher.

The public can catch a joy ride along Orchard Road on Saturday from 11am to 3pm from Hyatt Hotel. - CNA

I think this is the bus with a door that has a little thing folding out and touching the road side so that wheelchairs can be wheeled in easily?

I think this is the bus with a door that has a little thing folding out and touching the road side so that wheelchairs can be wheeled in easily?

Yes that's the one.....:D

The New Paper - 10 May 2004

By Azhar Ghani

RISING costs might put pressure on prices but when should the buck be passed to consumers?

There's never a good time for price hikes. But, going by past lessons, timing is everything.

Take the controversy over the 2002 transport-fare hike.

It was implemented while Singaporeans were still reeling from the country's worst recession since independence.

And it sparked a fiery parliamentary debate when East Coast GRC MP Tan Soo Khoon tabled a motion calling for a review of the hike.

Almost 20 MPs had supported his call, taking turns to hit out at the bad timing and big profits of public-transport companies.

But a U-turn from the Public Transport Council (PTC) was averted after Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Tan Boon Wan turned the motion around with his suggestion to drop the call for a review.

This was followed by an amendment proposed by Ayer Rajah MP Tan Cheng Bock, who called for the PTC to consider the 'state of the economy' and 'employment situation' in future fare reviews.

A few days after the debate, Mr Tan Soo Khoon noted in a press interview that the final version of the motion had reflected the sentiment among MPs, much of which revolved around the issue of timing.

BETTER TIMES

When costs can no longer be absorbed, would better times provide an opportunity for prices to be gradually raised?

It might, going by the explanation given for 2002's hike in certain public hospital fees.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang, the Health Minister then, had said at the time: 'Our philosophy is - better to have small fee increases on a regular basis than bunch it up and have a big one once every few years.

'... For the review earlier this year, we decided to hold it over because we're just in the recovery phase of the recession. Now that the economy is on a reasonably firm basis, we've let the clusters and hospitals continue with their regular adjustments.'

Speaking to The New Paper On Sunday recently, Consumer Association of Singapore (Case) president Yeo Guat Kwang offered this observation: When times are good, consumers' tolerance levels will increase.

Said the Aljunied GRC MP, who's also a director with the National Trade Union Congress: 'A pick-up in the economy, if accompanied by wage increases, will make it easier for people to accept price increases.'

The Singapore economy is expected to breeze past the official 3.5 to 5.5 per cent growth forecast for the year.


And, although the Manpower Ministry's preliminary estimates for the unemployment rate in this year's first quarter showed that it remained at 4.5 per cent, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had, in his May Day message, said that 'unemployment is likely to come down'.

Two weeks ago, the Monetary Authority of Singapore also said that workers' wages are expected to grow between 2 and 4 per cent this year.

Rising wages can lead to rising costs, if not accompanied by producitivity gains.

So what items on consumers' spending list are now facing cost pressures?

Already mentioned are impending hikes in property tax for HDB home-owners, and university fees. (See report on facing page.)

Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Chong Weng Chiew told The New Paper On Sunday: 'It doesn't mean that costs are reviewed just because things are getting better.

'There has to be constant reviews in order to reflect market realities, even if these involve subsidised goods and services.

'The HDB valuation is a long overdue revision that's part of its regular review.


'And I wouldn't call it a hike. It's a revision of the valuation, so the tax could have gone up or down.'

On why it's doing a review only now, after 14 years, Iras had said that it had held back 'in view of the difficult economic conditions in recent years'.

NOT EASY TO HOLD BACK

Holding back won't be easy generally for most goods and services providers.

Economists Suan Teck Kin of OCBC Bank and Song Seng Woon of brokerage G K Goh pointed to the upward pressure on prices of commodities like oil, raw materials for the chemical and construction industries, and newsprint for the publishing industry.

Mr Song said: 'Unless something drastic happens to the world economy, factors suggest that these costs will move up in the light of global demand. If they continue to firm up, the costs have to be passed on to consumers.

'So, even though the labour market still looks a bit fragile, I expect prices in general to move up.'

But, for this year at least, public transport fares will stay put.

The Public Transport Council's May deadline for operators to apply for fare revisions has lapsed quietly.

Rising oil prices haven't been enough to drive operators SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit to move for revisions.

Neither has talk that provisions for increased security may be necessary, in the light of the Madrid railway terrorist attack.

Case's Mr Yeo said: 'I don't think security arrangements should be borne totally by commuters.

'It's a national security issue. And there're also no other compelling reasons for public transport companies to raise fares.

'Several measures have helped them cut costs, like the 3-percentage-point cut in CPF contributions, which reduces a substantial chunk of their wage costs.

'The Government has also helped them lower costs through tax measures.'

POLITICAL COSTS

But, when hikes have to take place, the decision-makers would take into account all factors, including the political costs, added Dr Chong.

He didn't specifically say this, but Singapore is on the cusp of only its second leadership change, with Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong taking over from Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong before the year is out.

Singaporeans' unhappiness over impending bus fare hikes had been blamed as one of the factors which accounted for the ruling People's Action Party's defeat in the 1981 Anson by-election.

Dr Chong said: 'The decision-makers will fied, but also if the ground will take them well.

'We not only know whether the changes are justidon't implement changes mechanically, looking at dollars and cents alone.

'Painful changes aren't implemented as a single event. There are always accompanying measures to cushion the impact.'

Agreeing, Mr Yeo added that even when price hikes happen, Singaporeans shouldn't feel the squeeze.

Putting on his NTUC hat, he pointed to how the trusty familiar NTUC retail outlets patronised heavily by HDB heartlanders - supermarket FairPrice, Unity pharmacies and Foodfare food courts - have done their part to cushion the impact of unemployment, cuts in wages and CPF cuts for Singaporeans affected by slowdowns in the economy.

Mr Yeo said: 'Singapore is fortunate in that we've got the NTUC co-operatives well-established and poised to help workers out in bad times.

'These co-operatives help to moderate the cost of living by keeping prices of essential goods and services low.'

An example of how painful changes are handled with care was the GST hike from 3 per cent to 5 per cent announced in 2002, when the Government rolled out a $4.1 billion relief package.

age - to the tune of $17.6 NTUC also chipped in with its own pack To top it all, the hike - a critical cornermillion.

stone of the new tax regime - was made in two 1-percentage point increases over two years, instead of kicking in fully on January 2003 as originally planned.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECENT MOVES


Property tax for HDB home-owners
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) will be revising the annual value of Housing Board flats - for the first time in 14 years since 1990 - between July and December this year.

This will double the number of home-owners - an extra 400,000 - who have to pay property tax. Eventually, it will put an extra $40 million every year in the taxman's coffers, after the three-year exercise is fully phased in by 2007.

Why: Iras, which reviews the annual values of private property yearly, said it had held back in the case of HDB flats because of 'difficult economic conditions'.

Iras is now revising the annual values to bring them in line with market conditions.


University fee hike
During the Budget debate in March, Acting Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the Government's plans to reduce its 75 per cent subsidy for undergraduate courses.

This will result in higher tuition fees.

Why: Mr Tharman highlighted that graduates - who are likely to earn more - enjoy course subsidies that are twice those of their peers in polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education.

He indicated that it was 'neither desirable nor feasible' for university education's share of the budget to crowd out spending on other students.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hey! The new red and white colours on the new SMRT buses look so weird....

smrt bus? got pics?

hmmm doesnt look too bad but might cause confusion with sbs! looks so similar to their old colour scheme.. boring colour anyhow


http://www.smrtbuses.com.sg/images/cover.jpg

They should change the interior colours too... otherwise it just looks uber weird...

wait a minute... how come they reverted back to their old logo!

ooh my...

http://www.smrt.com.sg/slrt/slrt_img1.gif


they must have suddenly decided red is sexier... they too must know that red is a more appetising colour? so they can't fine me for eating on train...

I would like to see all-white buses and LRT cars that have that sleek, shiny, synthetic polymer-ish look of Apple iMacs....

white generally doesn't look good on most vehicles (except mercedes) come to perth and you'll know what i mean..

for the newer double deck buses iwth black tinted windows, white MAY work though...

solid colours work best i think :) but not khaki

How about black? Muahahahaha! Black and white rule!!!!

Ayah... as long as it has that shiny, sleek look, anything goes...

i dont think it's currently feasible to replicate that iMac skin look on a vehicle... but i'd love one!

Yeah... maybe they'll do it if Apple decides to do an advertisement on one of the double deckers..... *ray of hope shines through the dark clouds as E2E beams with euphoric relief*

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 10 May 2004 1920 hrs

By Ken Teh, Channel NewsAsia

TIBS buses and taxis are getting a makeover as parent company SMRT gives the vehicles a new coat of paint and new corporate names.

The move will also effectively remove the TIBS brand from Singapore's roads.

SMRT is spending $2.5 million on the rebranding exercise - but will commuters end up footing the bill?

Four months ago, SMRT's frontline staff were given a new look: lilac shirts and orchid pink blouses.

Now their trains, buses and taxis - are going to be painting the town red.

For the public transport operator, it is all about creating that one consistent look and identity.

Over 800 TIBS buses, along with about 2,000 taxis and about 100 MRT and LRT trains are going for a makeover.

This is all part of SMRT's move to adopt a common brand but all this will come at a cost of $2.5 million.

However SMRT, the island's biggest train operator, says the cost is minimal and will not be passed to commuters.

Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman, SMRT Corporation, said; "$2.5m is only 0.2 percent of SMRT's revenue so we're doing it in a very low cost way. The amount of unity it can achieve, cost synergies it can achieve will more than make up for the small amount we're going to spend."

The buses will be repainted over two years, while it will take half that time to give the taxis and trains their new look. - CNA


Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Hmm...so that is what the huge profits are for eh? :D Making us remember they are from the same company!

Hmm...so that is what the huge profits are for eh? :D Making us remember they are from the same company!

There goes my tibs bus......it actually has an association with my life in JC....I should try to take a photo of it before it's gone.....!!!!!

i wouldn't consider something like 40 or 50 million to be huge profit for a company like SMRT...

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 10 May 2004 2305 hrs

By Ken Teh, Channel NewsAsia

Transport group SMRT is offering consultancy services to Asian countries which are building their own mass rapid transit systems.

And while it is still too early to say, the company has not ruled out investing in these projects as well.

Choo Chiau Beng, Chairman, SMRT Corporation, said: "We are doing one job which currently is in progress but it's too premature to tell you, just that it's two of the most popular cities in Asia. We are working with parties there to see how we can leverage on our expertise and experience gained in Singapore and help them and also benefit ourselves."

And to further strengthen and leverage on its brand name abroad and in Singapore, SMRT has just unveiled a new rebranding exercise.

At a cost of $2.5 million, the company's TIBS buses and taxis, as well as its MRT and LRT trains will be rebranded under the SMRT name and given a makeover.

But SMRT says that this cost is minimal - less than 1 percent of its operating costs - and will not be passed on to commuters. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

i wouldn't consider something like 40 or 50 million to be huge profit for a company like SMRT...
If you check out their previous profit margins...it isnt a small sum...

Heck..so it costs them "just" $2.5 million to do their makeover. That leaves them with a lot of cash left...

If you check out their previous profit margins...it isnt a small sum...

Heck..so it costs them "just" $2.5 million to do their makeover. That leaves them with a lot of cash left...

Since $2.5 million is a small sum to them....why don't they pass it to me??haha.......:D

They are planning to invest in the region....without good profits they won't be able to do so.....

please invest in more rail lines locally...

Since $2.5 million is a small sum to them....why don't they pass it to me??haha.......:D

They are planning to invest in the region....without good profits they won't be able to do so.....
They should...soon u will have SMRT look alikes all over Asia....? :D

They should...soon u will have SMRT look alikes all over Asia....? :D

I don't think it will look alike cept it will be managed by SMRT....and i bet they will use a local name....... :)

But when HK's MTR invested in Delhe....they have the exact same train! :D

Heavier cars OK at HDB carparks

By Christopher Tan

THE larger Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and other vehicles weighing up to 2,000kg can now park in the 670 HDB carparks.

The Housing Board has amended a decades-old weight limit rule which allowed only empty vehicles of up to 1,500kg to do so.

The problem: This barred up to one-fifth of Singapore's 406,000 passenger cars, which weigh more than that.

The HDB said the new weight limit, which came into force last Saturday, applies whether a vehicle is empty or fully occupied.

'They've finally done it,' Motor Traders Association vice-president Michael Wong said. 'The association has actually approached them on this a few times in recent months. At last they've revised the limit.'

An HDB spokesman said the change was made to 'take into account the increasing weight of vehicles arising from changes in industry standards'.

The new limit covers most vehicles on the road today, but there are still several models of cars which go beyond 2,000kg, such as the bigger sport-utility vehicles and fully-occupied multi-purpose vehicles. Some even weigh more than 2,500kg.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Police are still mulling over their weight limit for a Class 3 driving licence. This class allows you to drive cars and light commercial vehicles that do not weigh more than 2,500kg.

But according to the Land Transport Authority, about 60 passenger cars here exceed that limit. These include some Rolls-Royces and Bentleys.

But when HK's MTR invested in Delhe....they have the exact same train! :D

Really ah....haha.....perhaps thats why we might be different(from HK).....haha.....:D

Anyway, it still early to say as they are just in planning stage only......

MAY 12, 2004

By Christopher Tan

CITYCAB is buying 124 new Mercedes-Benz E-class cars to replace its fleet of ageing luxury cabs.

The E220 CDI model sedans are scheduled to arrive by the end of the year.

CityCab was the first taxi operator here to put Mercedes cabs on the road. It began with 30 E300s eight years ago and now has 270 Mercs in its fleet of 5,220 taxis.

Sister company Comfort has 86 Mercedes cabs, while rival SMRT Taxis has 300.

'Some of the Mercs are being replaced because they will be reaching their statutory lifespan of eight years,' said a ComfortDelGro spokesman.

'In other cases, we have found that it is not economical to maintain the vehicles and have, therefore, opted to scrap them.'

CityCab is the first taxi company to order the new model E-class, which was introduced here two years ago. Its purchase of 124 cars is believed to be the single biggest order for Mercs in Singapore.

Each car costs twice what a Japanese-model taxi does, and CityCab is spending about $20 million on the replacements.

The proliferation of Mercedes taxis has not affected the appeal of the three-pointed star among car buyers - the make is the top luxury marque here, with the E-class being the top model. However, they have all but stopped ordering cars in white, a favourite colour before the cabs hit the road.

CityCab's purchase will be followed by an all-round buying frenzy among cab operators when the Government deregulates the industry fully next month.

SMRT Taxis plans to add 1,000 more cabs to its fleet of about 2,100 this year. The new players - Trans-Cab, Smart and Premier Taxi - aim to have 400 to 500 cabs each by the end of the year, up from the 130 to 160 each now.

Toyota distributor Borneo Motors, the leading taxi supplier here, is bracing to cope with the flurry of orders. Its spokesman said it would try its best to meet the demand.

While the new taxi operators are apprehensive that they might not get all the cars they would like, there is unlikely to be a shortage of drivers.

'There are still many waiting in the queue,' said Mr Teo Kiang Ang, managing director of Union Energy, the owner of Trans-Cab.

Mr Johnny Ang, executive director of Smart, said it had 300 drivers on its waiting list.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 12 May 2004 1858 hrs

By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : A series of power trips disrupted the Bukit Panjang LRT three times on Wednesday.

SMRT said the first and longest delay happened just before noon, lasting nearly 40 minutes.

An hour later, the trains stopped again but resumed service after a quick repair, which took about 18 minutes.

But this was not enough to prevent a third stoppage just before 2pm.

Service was then stopped so that maintainance staff could conduct a thorough check and rectify the problem.

Full service resumed at 2:15 pm.

During the disruption, SMRT deployed some 16 buses to shuttle passengers along the entire LRT route.

SMRT engineers are investigating the cause of the power trip.

This is the first major service delay in about two years.

In October 2002, the LRT was crippled by technical problems when the train guide-wheel fell off and caused a major shutdown. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Silver cabs, golden touches

By Goh Chin Lian

Free on this ride:
- Air purifier
- Wet towels
- Choice of music

Premier, the new kid in the expanding taxi market, ups the ante by providing extras at no extra charge. It plans to have 200 taxis by the end of this year

PREMIER Taxi, the third of Singapore's three new cab companies, will take to the roads on March 1, offering passengers such perks as wet towels to refresh themselves with and a choice of CDs to listen to during the ride.

The cabs, which will be metallic silver in colour, will also have air purifiers and ionisers in them. All these extras will come at no extra charge. 'Competing on price will be literally committing suicide,' said the company's general manager, Mr David Chen. 'We want to give our passengers as comfortable a ride as possible.'

The company plans to start with 50 taxis, which it has nicknamed 'Silvercabs', and is calling its 6363-6888 hotline 'Silverline'. Its booking fee will be $3, the same as Smart Automobile, another of the three newbies, and veteran CityCab. Tibs Taxis charges $2.80, and Comfort and Trans-Cab, $3.20. Premier's flagdown fare will be $2.40, like everyone else.

The company, owned by two siblings of the Chua family which founded car dealer Cycle & Carriage, plans to add 50 3-litre Toyota Crowns every two months to its fleet. Its target is to have at least 200 taxis by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the other two new cab companies, Smart and Trans-Cab, are expanding their fleets, barely a month after they started and well before they are required to by transport regulations. As new entrants, they have up to four years to build up the size of their fleet to a minimum of 400 taxis, and need to have 100 by the end of their first year in business.

Smart, with 30 light-green cabs, plans to add another 50 by early next month and 50 more in the next few weeks. Trans-Cab, which has 50 red-and-white vehicles, plans to put 29 more on the road on Feb 25 and another 21 on March 9.

Both companies said that their takings have been good but the number of taxis they now have is too small to cope with the bookings they have been receiving. The extra vehicles will also increase the amount of money they make from renting out the cabs. Trans-Cab, the larger of the two, can meet only two in 10 calls every day on average.

The size of their fleets has limited the impact on the three incumbents, Comfort, CityCab and Tibs Taxis, which have a total of about 19,000 cabs. According to the three taxi operators' associations, the new entrants have not affected their members' takings so far, partly because business is apparently at its best in the first three months of the year. They expect things to become more competitive later in the year when the number of available fares falls and more new cabs start plying.

While the new entrants have not taken away many passengers, they have been drawing a number of experienced drivers from the three incumbents. About 90 of the 100 cabbies that Premier has so far recruited have at least two years' experience.

To attract drivers, Premier is offering $2 off the daily rental fee for every year that a cabby rents its taxi. CityCab and Tibs announced similar schemes last month. Premier's daily rental fee, at $92.40, is about the industry average. Smart has the lowest rate, at $90.50, while Yellow-Top Taxis charges the highest, $94.08.

Premier is hoping that its silver shine will help it catch the eye of prospective passengers and that the vehicles' numbers will give it a fillip. Said Mr Chen: 'All our licence plates start with the number 8. It's a lucky number.'
You cannot believe it...my friend tot Premier Cabs are employed by the tissue company selling permier tissues haha

You cannot believe it...my friend tot Premier Cabs are employed by the tissue company selling permier tissues haha

Wakao....I think your friend overly imaginative..... :bash: :D

Yiap. :D Anyway now that we are on a new page, I wanna start some serious discussions about our public transport system.

What do you guys think of a privatised public transport industry as we have here today? Do you think it is better, or is it better for public transportation to be government owned and managed?

I expect at least 1000 words in each of your replies. :D

Yiap. :D Anyway now that we are on a new page, I wanna start some serious discussions about our public transport system.

What do you guys think of a privatised public transport industry as we have here today? Do you think it is better, or is it better for public transportation to be government owned and managed?

I expect at least 1000 words in each of your replies. :D

The question sound very similar to what I read in Toronto one.....haha....:D

I think each have its pros and cons.....If governemnt managed, the infrastructure won't be so nice loh....but the price might be cheaper....
If privatised, there will be more facilities but they will do things for profit, for example raising fares and opening a station only when there is enough crowds......

I guess it's a matter of preference......do you want cost savings or do you prefer aesthetics??? I think if a balance is strike(inexpensive yet clean etc...)....I won't mind if it's privatised.....

Yes....the toronto one makes me feel like budging in...but nvm. :D

I dont quite agree that government-run means less asthetics. More elaborations on this later....just waiting for more comments. :D

isnt the mrt government built, then privately managed? if its cash rich government built - it would much morelikely be nice.

i think private is better - competition always benefits the consumer and brings innovations.

Yes....the toronto one makes me feel like budging in...but nvm. :D

I dont quite agree that government-run means less asthetics. More elaborations on this later....just waiting for more comments. :D

"government-run means less asthetics".....maybe i too engross in the toronto one...haha....:D

Got any examples?? (you can give later after you see all the comments)

Yeah...perhaps...but is there really competition in public transport here?

Yeah...perhaps...but is there really competition in public transport here?

I don't think so.....I only got one MRT line to "choose" from from my place???

I don't think so.....I only got one MRT line to "choose" from from my place???
Haahaa.....try thinking on the national sense lah! :bash: :D

Haahaa.....try thinking on the national sense lah! :bash: :D

If it's on national sense, i think it's a "artificial" one loh.....anyway they's only two company.....how "big" can the competition be.....

...

But it's still an inconvenience, albeit a played-down one.... I' prefer to think that the LRT will work every time i need it, rather than that there's a back up in place.... prevention is better than cure, right?

...

But it's still an inconvenience, albeit a played-down one.... I' prefer to think that the LRT will work every time i need it, rather than that there's a back up in place.... prevention is better than cure, right?

Of course.....who would want a useless piece of crap that always give problems....maybe they should listen to Huai Wei....Destroy the whole thing.....haha....:D

Destroy? No lah... fix can liao... dun waste all that money for nothing...

Destroy? No lah... fix can liao... dun waste all that money for nothing...
They can keep the concrete pillars. Just rip up the whole damn bloody system (including the tracks. I wonder how wheels can fall out) and put in a better one! :D

This story was printed from TODAYonline

It can spend thousands on helping elderly rather than millions on projects of debatable value

Friday • May 14, 2004

SINGAPORE has a public transport system that can, in many ways, claim to be world class. Further, over the years, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has put thought and money into some extras designed to make motoring and commuting more convenient.

It's a pity that some of these projects turned out to be, shall we say, ill-advised.

For example, it spent $125 million on Emas, or the Expressway and Advisory System, meant, among other things, to provide estimates of the time needed to get from one point to another.

But last October, the LTA switched off this service without warning or explanation. When quizzed, it simply said the step was in response to motorists' feedback, not to save costs.

Then, there was the $40-million system to provide travel-time information at bus stops and interchanges. Announced in late 2000, it was canned early last year — after some $10 million had already been spent — because of software problems.

The greater pity is that a public agency that was ready to spend such large sums on projects of debatable value continues to count its pennies when it comes to little projects that would make the travel and transport needs of the aged, ill or handicapped people a bit easier.

In 2000, I had asked in a commentary why there was no escalator or lift at the Novena MRT Station to make it easier for the aged and the sick to get to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. This was inspired by a reader's letter in a Chinese daily recounting how heart-wrenching it was to see an old lady with a twisted leg making her painful way up the 44 steps to the hospital.

This letter and the commentary helped trigger public demand for better access at MRT stations. In response, the LTA explained that when the MRT system was first built, it was "exempted from complying with the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility in Buildings" (in other words, it didn't have to make arrangements for the aged and the handicapped).

But, it added, "as part of (a) move to make MRT stations more user-friendly, especially to the elderly, the LTA will be retro-fitting all existing stations with lifts".

So, life became easier for less mobile commuters to get from MRT stations to the ground. But after that?

In 2001, Mr Gurmit Singh wrote to the press to say that the overhead bridge connecting Outram MRT and the Singapore General Hospital was served by only two escalators, both going up. He wrote about how difficult it was for some to negotiate the bridge and asked for downward escalators to be installed.

Last September, Ms Karen Wong Ang Eng wrote to Today on the same issue. The LTA wrote back and promised to "look into the matter". Eight months of inaction later, an irritated Ms Wong wrote in again, this time advising the LTA to "do something quickly and not wait until a serious mishap occurs".

There may not have been any serious mishaps, but there have been minor accidents at this bridge. Mr Timothy Tang Nam Yen wrote about seeing "countless ... elderly men and women who had problems descending the stairs and needed to be helped by passers-by or family members" and how "an old man fell down while descending the stairs. Fortunately, passers-by rushed forward to help him up".

In the United States, the man or his relatives would have sued the LTA. Here, he just picked himself up and walked away.

On Wednesday, the LTA roused itself and wrote to Today saying it was too expensive to install downward escalators at the bridge, but it was working with the Singapore General Hospital to "provide more pick-up and drop-off points for the shuttle bus service" for those who have difficulty using the bridge.

Too expensive? A pair of escalators for a 10m high bridge, after including all the work — from waterproofing to the power connection — will cost perhaps $300,000.

Have we, or rather has the LTA, got its priorities a little mixed up? There's nothing glamorous or high-tech about escalators, but they would make life easier for the aged and sick who cannot afford cars or taxis and who have to use the bridge.

Spending time and money on little projects like this would make our public transport system truly world-class.

The writer is a freelance journalist.

Lee Han Shih

peccavi013@yahoo.com

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 16 May 2004 1943 hrs

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Sengkang residents who have been facing constant traffic woes can now heave a sigh of relief with the recent completion of a four-way road interchange and flyover.

This has helped some residents shave up to 20 minutes off their travelling time at peak periods.

As a new town, Sengkang had initially faced a number of traffic woes as road access tried to grow in tandem with the number of residents moving in.

With some intense lobbying, a S$23 million programme saw various road openings in the last two years to improve access to Sengkang and Punggol.

With the completion of the interchange -- the last slip road was opened just last month -- residents can now avoid the congested Ponggol Road and have an alternative route to the TPE, which will basically feed them into the city and other parts of Singapore.

This was certainly something to celebrate for the many residents who gathered at a community event.

"Formerly, the jam would start at Punggol Road before Rivervale Plaza -- that was heavily jammed. It would take me 20 to 25 minutes before I could exit to TPE. With this new opening, it saves me a lot of time on traffic jams," said resident Gimmy Yeo.

And with motorists headed elsewhere, public transport users face an easier time too.

"An alternative route is opened up; motorists use it. Public transport still uses the old Punggol Road. There is less traffic so public transport is very fast," said Tan Jong Aik a resident.

Another new development is a pedestrian bridge linking Sengkang and Punggol towns.

As for the yet-to-be opened Buangkok MRT Station, the plan is to build more flats around it to make it viable.

"Two thousand units over the next two to three years in Punggol town. For the Sengkang part of it, most of the building is around Buangkok. The aim is to get Buangkok open as soon as possible," said Dr Michael Lim, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

Meanwhile, the Sengkang West loop of the LRT is also not due to open anytime soon due to lack of developments around the area.

Tenders for the Punggol Seafood Village will also be called later this year, to add more life to the area. - CNA


Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

FEB 13

Andy Ho

THE time may have come for commuters and taxi operators alike to face an uncomfortable truth: Singapore's taxi fares are too low.

The suggestion to raise fares has always been howled down. The last time the then Communications Ministry tried to raise fares - back in the mid-1980s - the minister in charge got so much flak, the Government had to make a politically-costly U-turn.

This time round, another increase may be in the works, if the Land Transport Authority's recent imposition of a $25 levy per taxi on taxi companies is any harbinger.

Will there be good grounds for such an increase?

Yes, because Singapore's taxi system is still very much a relic of the 1960s and pricing structures have not caught up with the times.

In cities with developed public transport systems like buses and subways, taxis are a luxury means of transport. Only the higher-income and those in enough of a hurry to pay the premium use them.

Only in less developed countries and cities where public transportation has yet to be fully developed are taxis - such as the 'pirate taxis' of old Singapore - a means of transport for the masses.

In today's Singapore however, the student, the office worker and even the domestic maid flag down taxis the way they hop onto buses elsewhere.

The reason is simple: Taxi fares here are low.

Fares are now only about half or a third of those in New York, London or Tokyo. With 19,000 cabs on the roads, Singapore already has 4.8 taxis per 1,000 population - higher than the 2.9 per thousand population in New York, 2.6 in London and 2.3 in Tokyo. But still people clamour for more, especially during the peak periods in the early mornings and late afternoons/early evenings.

Because taxi fares are probably below their true market rates, several oddities have resulted on the Singapore taxi scene.

One is that the taxi is the NTUC FairPrice of public transport when it should more appropriately be Liberty, FairPrice's more upmarket outlet at Plaza Singapura.

Another is the enormous range of add-on tariffs that has been devised to increase the cabby's takings without raising the basic fare rate, such as the booking fee and the peak hour surcharge.

The most impactful of these add-on tariffs is of course the midnight surcharge, which at 1 1/2 times the standard rate, has been resulting in the notorious pre-midnight taxi disappearing acts which must be peculiar only to Singapore.

If normal fares are higher and the after-midnight differential not so large, taxi drivers will have less incentive to resort to such behaviour.

Then, there are the many and frequent complaints about taxi drivers, in part- icular about their lack of courtesy and their dangerous driving habits.

These behaviour traits may have other causes, but low fares must count as one.

A cabby here needs about 20 fares per day to make a decent living, so he literally rushes through each, says Mr Abdul Halil, 58, who has been a cabby for 20 years.

By contrast, a Tokyo cabby who charges twice as much needs only half that number to make ends meet. Presumably, he can also afford to slow down and offer more courteous service.

What will the impact of higher fares be on taxi drivers' earnings?

This depends on the size of the increase. If it's too big, the number of taxi users will plunge, and cabby income along with it. The trick therefore is to ensure that the increase is big enough to reduce demand for taxis - but not cabby earnings.

Dr Leung Chin Ying, a business professor at the Nanyang Technological University, says the taxi market is like cigarettes in the sense that there will always be smokers who continue to smoke regardless of pricing, because they are addicted.

But there is little fear of monopoly pricing resulting because competition among cigarette brands drives prices to an efficient level. Likewise with taxi rides, competition among service providers sets efficient prices.

'Our deregulated taxi market must be doing it right since riders buy the service it provides at current prices,' Dr Leung surmises.

This means that should taxi fares really be allowed to go up, chances are that taxi drivers will be better off - provided of course that deregulation remains and taxi companies are free to vary their prices if they think they can make more money by lowering their prices.

And what of the impact of higher fares on commuters?

Those most likely to be affected adversely will be the lower-income earners and small businesses who rely on taxis to transport goods.

But the remedy to this is not to keep taxi fares artificially low. Instead it is to ensure that the people most affected have alternative means of public transport. Public buses, the MRT and light-rail must serve the areas where these people live and work comprehensively. Private bus and pick-up operators must be allowed to provide their services, which fill niches the transport giants cannot fill.

The current expansion of the MRT and LRT networks is also a definite move in the right direction, paving the way for an eventual reduction in Singaporeans' reliance on taxis.

With 12 per cent of Singapore's land already used for roads and related facilities, it is not tenable to rely on the construction of more roads to meet the demands of a reliable and efficient land transport system.

Finally, there is another argument why taxi fares ought to be raised, although it is one that nobody will welcome. This concerns fairness towards other road users. Car users are right now taxed at punitive levels. Those who take the bus and MRT have had to pay higher fares. Only taxi fares remain untouched.

To strike a better balance among the various forms of transport, their relative fare structures need recalibration so as to iron out existing wrinkles in the demand patterns.

The only argument mitigating against a taxi fare hike now is the economic downturn.

The last time the Government tried to raise fares, it was also during a recession. One hopes the Government will learn from history.

There are good grounds for an increase - but just not now. Not for another six months at least.


Andy Ho is a senior writer with The Straits Times.

hrmmmm it's nice to know we've got such a high density! i know we do have, but i didnt expect it to be higher than new york.. you always see pictures of new york city with their roads filled with yellow cabs...

hrmmmm it's nice to know we've got such a high density! i know we do have, but i didnt expect it to be higher than new york.. you always see pictures of new york city with their roads filled with yellow cabs...

High density mair?? I find it hard to even book a cab in peak hours or when it's raining....... :bash:

book... usually quite easy mar... i dont know leh maybe i dont book during peak hours... you know um can book by sms? then they say pay 30¢ for booking by sms... so i was like so happy so cheap to book so i book lor... then only when like we had to pay we realise 30¢ is on top of normal booking fee... so it's like a 75% extra of the usual $4 fare from school to mrt station :/

book... usually quite easy mar... i dont know leh maybe i dont book during peak hours... you know um can book by sms? then they say pay 30¢ for booking by sms... so i was like so happy so cheap to book so i book lor... then only when like we had to pay we realise 30¢ is on top of normal booking fee... so it's like a 75% extra of the usual $4 fare from school to mrt station :/

Book by sms?? Haven't try it b4......but then it was quite a while since I last book a cab......

we didnt actually ahve to book but just wanted to try out the sms booking thing see how fast it is :P

we didnt actually ahve to book but just wanted to try out the sms booking thing see how fast it is :P

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 24 May 2004 1648 hrs

By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Transport Minister has defended the Land Transport Authority's safety record in front of an international audience of tunnelling experts from more than 50 countries who are here for the World Tunnel Congress.

Mr Yeo Cheow Tong told the more than 800 tunnelling professionals that despite the Nicoll Highway cave-in, LTA has had fewer accidents than the industry average.

Last year, there were 2.4 accidents for every one million man hours worked at LTA's worksites compared to the industry average of 2.7.

Mr Yeo said: "Over time, the public will know that what happened here is not something that takes place all the time, the Nicoll Highway incident is not something that happens all the time, and that LTA's safety record is one that's commendable."

The international experts at the congress said the Nicoll Highway cave-in was the first major tunnelling accident this year.

There were three such accidents in 1998 in Brazil, Germany and Britain, and one last year in China.

But Andre Assis, the president of the International Tunnelling Association, agreed that LTA's safety record is above average.

He said: "The level of accidents in tunnels, compared to all the other industries, even the building construction industry, is very, very low. The problem is the impact on the media. When you have one accident in the tunnel, everybody wants to talk about that."

As more and more facilities for storage, entertainment and recreation, transport and sewage are going to be built underground, tunnelling is going to continue to be part of Singapore's development.

That is why the authorities are insisting on maintaining a high safety standard for tunnelling works.

The Government is reviewing worksite safety standards across the board.

And, there are now million-dollar incentives to keep worksites accident-free.

But Mr Yeo said the renewed focus on safety does not mean building projects will become more expensive.

He said: "The safety requirements have always been there, and the contractors have to take all these requirements into consideration when they make a bid. So there's not going to be a change in the safety consideration, so I don't see why it should impact on the cost of the projects." - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 26 May 2004 1819 hrs

SINGAPORE : If you live along a little-known street that taxi drivers are often unfamiliar with, help is on the way. CityCab is giving its 1,000 drivers an online map that will show them the route at a glance.

The terminals inside every cab are now loaded with brand new software that allows cab drivers to search for addresses and gives them a bird's eye view of how to get there.

They can also get a closer, more detailed map if they want to zoom in on a particular location.

And when a phone booking comes through, the system can also automatically mark the passenger's pick-up and drop-off points.

That means less time is wasted looking for obscure streets.

"It takes a few seconds, just press a button ... It's better than a directory where you have to refer back, find the location -- that takes time," one cab driver said. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

ah... is that available for normal cars?

excuse me but what are transperth buses doing in singapore!!!!

http://dolphinairlines.bravehost.com/Buses/CNG1854_8.JPG

JUNE 5, 2004

A terminal for express bus services will be built to cater to 4,000 travellers daily; businesses will meet their needs

By Serene Goh

MEGA mall Turf City is a gamble that has lost its investors more than $1.73 million since it opened in 2001. But wheels are turning to reverse its fortunes.

Turf City Pte Ltd and the Express Bus Agency Association announced a joint venture yesterday to convert about 50,000 sq ft of its 56ha into an overland transport terminal.

'We have a world-class airport and port, so why not a world-class overland terminal?' said Mr Sebastian Yap, chairman of the association, which represents 70 per cent of express bus operators here.

At least eight bus operators have pledged to relocate half their fleets to the new terminal, he said. It is expected to accommodate up to 4,000 travellers a day, with about six coaches coming and going each hour from 6.30am to 11pm.

The plot behind the used-car dealers will be converted into a sheltered carpark for buses, a transit area and docking bays.

Turf City's building (the former Turf Club grandstand) will be redeveloped to house services that cater to travellers, including a ticketing office, waiting lounge and budget-travel outlets.

Coach services to Malaysia and Thailand now use a variety of pick-up and drop-off points, including Golden Mile Complex, Queen Street and Lavender MRT station, where buses dock in parking lots or loading bays.

All these will now be consolidated at Turf City.

Turf City's redevelopment, scheduled to be completed in October, will provide space for 80 retailers, up from 60 now. It will cost the company about $1 million.

Its shareholders had invested $15 million to develop the old Bukit Timah Turf Club into Turf City after the club moved to Kranji in 1999.

The redevelopment is expected to draw more tourists.

Turf City's main shareholders, Singapore Agro Agriculture, and additional individual private investors, have extended their lease on the site and its 760,000 sq ft building for another six years.

They have an option to renew the lease every three years until 2010. Their landlord is the Singapore Land Authority.

Turf City tenants are expected to be told officially about the new terminal by next week. Most tenants' leases are due for renewal soon, the company said.

McDonald's and the hypermart Giant are among the tenants who have already extended their leases.

Giant's spokesman said that its outlet had so far received 'strong support' from regular customers.

Turf City's retail woes are well documented, with vendors complaining that its downmarket image and difficulty of access deter shoppers.

Carnivals, car-boot sales and other promotions haven't drawn many shoppers and The Market Place flea market and The Furniture Mall have since shut.

In March, Courts closed its 11,000 sq ft store there, although it was paying about $3.50 a sq ft, about 60 per cent less than at suburban malls.

Smaller retailers look set to follow suit, with some saying that new plans to capture tourist dollars are too little, too late.

Ms Judy Wong, who sells clothing in Ju-An Gallery on its ground level, is counting the days till her lease ends.

'Most days I get no customers here at all, although when I do road shows elsewhere, the response is good.

'I've paid $4,000 a month for three years, and the landlords have never reduced the rent although times were bad.

'The traffic just doesn't justify what I'm paying. So, no, I don't think a bus terminal will be enough.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 07 June 2004 1926 hrs

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's four main taxi operators have all scored an F for safety.

The fail mark is from the first report card on taxi service standards prepared by the Land Transport Authority.

The cabs were graded over a 7-month period from September last year to March.

Road accidents involving taxis have made the news time and again but none was more spectacular that the CityCab that ended up at the bottom of a condominium pool in January.

For taxi operators - all this adds up to a big F for safety.

All of Singapore's four big players - Comfort, CityCab, SMRT, Yellow-Top Cabs - have exceeded the allowed accident rate of 2 crashes per 10 million kilometres, set by the Land Transport Authority.

Getting cabs for callers was another area of the report card with plenty of red.

The worst performer was SMRT Taxis, formerly known as TIBS Taxis, which failed to meet the 90 percent target in 5 out of 7 months.

The penalties for failing to meet the service standards are high - a fine of up to $100,000 for each failure.

But the LTA has given the cab companies up to end-August to buck up.

Taxi drivers admit there may be some bad apples but they claim the high accident rate is because they are on the road much longer.

"On the average, drivers for taxis drive 10 hrs on the road - ordinary drivers just drive 1-2 hours a day drive to home and work that's all and they drive the same route everyday," said one taxi driver.

"Sometimes it's due to lack of sleep, tired, all these unnecessary things can lead to accidents," said another.

Despite the improvements, passengers had one main bugbear - and that was not getting a cab, despite booking, during rainy weather and at peak periods like weekends.

One commuter said: "Probably during rainy days it's a bit difficult, even if call you can't get one."

"Raining everyone rushing for cabs at the same time peak hours people working 8-9 all same time how to service them all?" said one taxi-driver.

"Rainy weather everyone wants to take a cab. I had an incident - once from here I took a lady she wanted to go to Revenue House across the road," said another.

Meanwhile, the three new kids on the block - Smart Automobile, Trans-Cab and Premier Taxis - are also being graded.

Their report card will be out later. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

omigod that sounds so much like school! everyone failing haha

This story was printed from TODAYonline

Tuesday • June 8, 2004

SINGAPORE resident senior citizens enjoy concessionary travel on public transport only during selected hours — much like Cinderella's magic coach, which reverts to being a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight.

After many years, the only additional concession is that "happy hours" for local senior citizens start at 10 am on Saturdays, instead of the previous 2 pm start.

I wonder if there is anybody who can still remember the rationale for this strange ruling which goes back 30 years and if it is still relevant today?

Narayana Narayana

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strange...can't find this on English press....but this article is relevant to thread #178. It says that taxi operators feel that the standards for safety by the LTA were far too strict.

新闻：新加坡 2004-06-08

四大德士公司安全水平不合格业者认为安全标准太苛刻

● 谢仲贤

　　4家主要德士公司的安全水平达不到标准，在受评估的7个月里，平均有6个月“不合格”。

　　陆路交通管理局自去年1月对德士公司实行新的服务准则，昨天首次公布评估结果，康福、城市、黄顶和SMRT的安全记录都不理想，车祸率超出当局设定的标准。

　　陆交局已给业者多两个月宽限期，到了8月底如果情况没有改善，德士公司可被罚款最高10万元。

　　不过，业者认为当局设定的标准过于苛刻，吁请当局检讨。

　　根据标准，整个德士车队每行驶1000万公里，车祸总数不能超过两起。按照业者粗略计算，意味着每个德士司机32年里只许发生一起车祸。

　　康福德高企业发言人说，陆交局把“意外”定义为导致有人受伤或公物受损的事件，但公物受损包括花坛(flower bed)，这样的定义过于严格了。

　　康福德高集团管理的康福、城市和黄顶德士超过1万6000辆。发言人说：“作为公共交通服务业者，我们理解及欢迎当局实施服务素质标准，确保乘客和公路使用者的安全。尽管如此，我们吁请陆交局检讨苛刻的徳士车祸率标准。”

　　SMRT德士公司同样认为车祸率标准苛刻。发言人说：“德士司机长时间在路上奔波，有些车祸事件不能归咎于他们或不是由他们直接造成的。当局的标准意味着我们每个月不能有超过5起意外，这太严格了。”

　　不过陆交局说，他们是根据私人车辆车祸率制定德士的安全标准。私人车辆车祸率是每行驶1000万公里发生5起车祸。陆交局说：“德士扮演公共服务角色，所以我们把车祸率标准设得比私人车辆严格。”

平均每月70起车祸

　　陆交局资料显示，过去7个月，4家德士公司平均每月有70起车祸，频率是每1000万公里2.8起，超出不到两起的规定。

　　尽管陆交局和业者对车祸率标准是否过于严格意见不同，不过业者还是努力达到标准，所采取的措施包括为司机提供辅导、培训及奖励。

　　陆交局也为德士公司在繁忙时间的电召服务和顾客满意程度评分。业者在这方面的整体表现良好，不过SMRT德士在调派德士方面差强人意，好几个月无法取得90%成绩。这项标准要求业者每10次有9次能为乘客分配到德士。

　　陆交局去年实施新的德士服务准则，划一评估标准，确保业者自由竞争的同时，仍能维持高素质服务水平。当局目前也在评估另外3家新公司的表现。　　

JUNE 9, 2004
Bus depot plan rejected again
URA turns down appeal by Turf City to use premises as an overland transport terminal, but company to appeal again

By Serene Goh

TURF City's plans to use part of its premises as an overland transport terminal have been halted.

The mega mall's operators, who earlier this year applied to the authorities to convert 4,650 sq m of their 56ha plot for this purpose, were told of the decision on May 15.

But they appealed to officials, including their landlord, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which then granted an approval in principle.

That approval hinged on confirmation from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for the land use. The board replied: No.

In a statement to The Straits Times, it explained: 'The use of the Turf City site for a transport hub is not compatible with the existing residential land use in the area.'

Its spokesman said a location for an overland transport hub was in the works, but not at Turf City.

That's because an injection of an expected 4,000 travellers daily, along with 'a host of bus operators and related activities such as money changers and tour agencies', would hugely increase human and vehicle traffic throughout the day and in the evenings.

Coaches operating late at night would also 'greatly disturb the residents of the area'.

Turf City Pte Ltd, which recently renewed its lease on the land and accompanying Turf City building with the SLA, had planned to complete the terminal by October.

The company, together with coach operator Express Bus Agency Association, publicly announced their joint venture on Friday.

Now, the company's shareholders, including its main stakeholder, Singapore Agro Agriculture, claim the URA has 'missed the point'.

A statement issued by the management denied it was constructing a bus terminal or interchange, but 'merely making use of the existing infrastructure, such as the several thousand excess parking lots' as a transit point for coaches.

It said that Turf City was offered for tender in 2001 for commercial, institutional, sports and recreational uses and as a used-car centre. All these activities would already bring in a high volume of traffic.

It said that Turf City's plans would have brought in tourist dollars and, to ensure compliance with existing traffic laws, the company had 'spent $500,000 on traffic-impact assessment and control measures, including the installation of a traffic junction box outside its leased boundaries'.

Besides, it said, its existing proposal was only 'an interim measure for a limited period'.

'One can only hope that the higher authorities will look into the role of the URA in driving businesses into the ground or moving them to other neighbouring countries,' it added.

Retailers themselves seem unaffected by the tussle. A spokesman for Giant said the hypermart's decision to renew its lease 'was not contingent on the terminal, but was made based on the store's good business and its business plans'.

Another tenant, Mr Michael Ong, who owns the Hiestand chain of 11 Swiss-pastry outlets islandwide, was already in talks to renew his three-year lease on his 11 sq m shop even before news of the depot plan broke.

He said he enjoys a consistent clientele in Turf City on weekends from 'mostly regular customers who are expats', and described the landlords as 'fair and compromising'.

Indeed, those landlords are also determined. Mr Ang Kiong Teng, general manager of Turf City, said the company is not giving up on its plans yet: 'We are still going to continue appealing to the relevant authorities, because we would like to proceed with business.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 11, 2004
Taxi accident rates: LTA won't budge on standards
It decides against changing audit targets as operators had managed low rates before
By Goh Chin Lian

TAXI operators had kept their accident rates low in the past few years, so there is no reason why they can't do it again, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

It told The Straits Times the companies had managed before to keep the average at no more than two accidents for every 10 million km travelled. These are accidents involving an injury, death or damage to public property, and where only the cabby was at fault.

Since the LTA began monthly audits of the cab companies' performance last September, SMRT's 2,100 taxis had complied in two of the first seven months, and ComfortDelGro's 16,700 Comfort, CityCab and Yellow-Top taxis, one month each.

The poor scores overall led the LTA to relook its standards. But it decided against changing them, and gave the companies up to the end of August to improve.

After that, they can be fined up to $100,000.

Cabbies blame the increased accident rate on the recent influx of more than 400 new taxis. So, drivers stay on the road longer each day to cover their rent, get more tired and have to rush to get enough fares for the day.

Said SMRT Taxi Operators' Association president John Leong: 'With so many taxis on the road, everybody is looking for a passenger.

'If we stop to rest for an hour, do you know we would lose at least $15?'

Cabbies say layoffs and the need for a second job pushed many people into driving cabs and the newcomers are less experienced on the road.

Said Mr S.T. Goh, 44, a cabby for 11 years: 'They lack the experience, they are going too fast and they rush when they see passengers.'

Motorists' refusal to give way and other bad driving habits have also worsened as 'everybody is too stressed on the road these days', he said.

Comfort cabby Thng Cheng Sion, 46, had his fifth accident last November. He couldn't brake in time, when a motorist in front stopped suddenly to avoid hitting another car that had cut into his lane.

He was going at about 50kmh on the Central Expressway and was three car lengths behind, he said.

Shouldn't he have been farther behind?

To this, he said: 'When you have too big a gap, people behind will sound their horn at you or overtake. You know how Singaporeans drive.'

His cab was in the workshop for two days, which would have cost him more than $300 in fares, he reckons. He had to pay $2,000 in accident liability to his company.

'Denting the car is one thing. You don't want to lose your life,' he said in Mandarin.

Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Seng Han Thong, adviser to the taxi driver associations of Comfort, CityCab and SMRT Taxis, believes the authorities can be on the same side as taxi companies and cabbies as they all want to minimise road accidents.

If the problem is with newcomers, the solution is to have them attend more lessons on safety, he said, adding: 'Fines can't solve the problem. You have to address the reason for the accident.'

The LTA said it was working with taxi operators to reduce the accident rate - for example, by introducing a safety driving programme.

Comfort's cabbies must take refresher courses every five years. New hirers are put on probation for six months; new relief drivers, for one year. During this spell, they must keep a clean record, and 99 per cent have, it said.

A roving team videotapes Comfort cabbies who drive carelessly and they are later counselled and shown the footage. It has counselled more than 100 cabbies over the past two years, it said.

The three newest operators - Smart Automobile, Trans-Cab and Premier Taxis - have till next year to meet LTA's standards.

At least two have kept their accident rate in check so far.

For an accident to count, the cabby must be to blame for the mishap and it should have caused damage to public property, injury or death. It excludes cases still being investigated by the Traffic Police.

Since Trans-Cab was launched in January, it's had one such accident. Smart's two accidents are still under investigation and do not count yet.

Said Smart's executive director, Mr Johnny Ang: 'We tell our drivers to be more patient on the road by giving way, and to get enough rest by taking a nap after driving long hours.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 11, 2004
Years driving a cab: 33, Accidents: 0
COMFORT cabby Lim Ah San has never had an accident in his 33 years driving a taxi.

Mr Lim, a 67-year-old grandfather, gets eight hours of sleep, then starts his workday by checking the engine oil and tyres.

It is harder to avoid accidents these days with more vehicles, including new taxis, on the road, he says, but good driving habits still count.

Signal when turning, don't follow cars too closely and don't speed, says Mr Lim.

He normally stays under the 90kmh limit on the expressway. If it's raining and roads are slippery, he goes more slowly.

Unless the passenger insists that he hurries.

If the rain is so heavy that he can't see the road clearly, he just stays home.

If there's a car close behind when his cab is hailed, he stops farther down the road and just apologises and explains to the passenger, he says.

He won't switch lanes abruptly to pick up a passenger, he insists. 'At most, he complains. I have no choice if there are a lot of cars and buses.'

But no customer has complained against Mr Lim, who says he drives a seven-hour shift and makes 12 trips a day. He used to do 10 hours at a stretch and 18 trips a day when his three children were younger. They're now grown up.

And he advises younger cabbies not to risk an accident just to take home an extra dollar or two.

When cabbies cut into his lane to pick up a passenger, he gives way.

'I'll find another one farther up. It's dangerous to compete and we'll both end up losing.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

He normally stays under the 90kmh limit on the expressway. If it's raining and roads are slippery, he goes more slowly.

Unless the passenger insists that he hurries.
How come none of them ever realises that is probably the main reasons why taxis get into accidents in the first place? :D

How come none of them ever realises that is probably the main reasons why taxis get into accidents in the first place? :D

They will probably realised it when it's too late........ :bash:

Hehe....the few times I took the cab, its always because I am in a big hurry, and of coz I will tell the cabby to speed! :D

Hehe....the few times I took the cab, its always because I am in a big hurry, and of coz I will tell the cabby to speed! :D

Most of the time i took cab, they jus speed naturally..... :eek:

Most of the time i took cab, they jus speed naturally..... :eek:
Haha...quite true. They seem to assume everyone is in a hurry I suppose?

Haha...quite true. They seem to assume everyone is in a hurry I suppose?

I supposed it's also hard for the vehicle to always run within limits...they need to "unleashed" those horsepower sometimes......:D

Unleashed them at the appropriate place lah..Singapore is not a place to unleash their power....Singapore so small...one small unleash can cost one or few lives...can the driver be more responsible?

taxi engines got lotsa power meh... i think its just taxi drivers trying to make as much money in the shortest time possible (which is very reasonable). passengers also wouldnt mind getting to their destination as quickly as possible.

what is so reasonable when it is at the expense of the lives of other people? So what you saved time and kill urslef and others. To me, this is an irresponsible act. Drive at an appropriate and safe speed is their job. The world does not move according to one man or one taxi.

sometimes it seems the risk is worth it to feed your family :(

the world does not move according to one man or taxi indeed. but all taxi drivers are trying to do is to support their family. families are for now the basic social units of society, and it can be reasoned that taxi drivers are trying to better society by providing for family? of course this argument is a bit... over the top.. but i'm just trying to say um.. taxi drivers take the (relatively minuscule) risk to feed their familiess

Unleashed them at the appropriate place lah..Singapore is not a place to unleash their power....Singapore so small...one small unleash can cost one or few lives...can the driver be more responsible?

When i say "unleash", it doesn't mean driving like a F1 racing car.....in fact the "fastest" taxi i've been is about 120 km/h....and thats only for a short while on the ECP and there are very few vehicle then.......

I'm sure most drivers are responsible enough to drive safely.......If not, as a passenger u can always remind him, can't u?? :)

This story was printed from TODAYonline
Is a bus station at Turf City too downmarket?

Puzzling why the site was leased for retail use if residents' peace was not to be disturbed

Weekend • June 12, 2004

IF bus operators, moneychangers and tour agents are too downmarket for Bukit Timah, why doesn't the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) just say so?

On Tuesday, the URA rejected plans by Turf City to use part of its premises as a terminal for the bus services that ply between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Turf City, which leases the former Turf Club premises from the Government, had intended to use a fraction of the land — 50,000 sq ft out of 56 hectares, or less than 1 per cent — for this purpose.

Turf City has found it difficult to hit on a right mix of tenants since it got the site in 2001.

So far, only the hypermart there seems to be doing well. Some tenants have left and Turf City itself has lost $1.37 million since it opened.

With its extensive space, Turf City is a good location for bus operators, eight of whom are ready to relocate half their fleets there. This will bring in up to 4,000 travellers a day and generate business for other tenants. A win-win arrangement for all concerned.

But the URA does not agree.

Using the Turf City site as a transport hub, it said, was not compatible with the existing residential land use in the area as the increased human and vehicle traffic would disturb residents.

If the URA is concerned about disturbing the peace and quiet of the residential areas around Turf City, why then did it allow the Singapore Land Authority to lease out the site for retail use in the first place?

A shopping complex needs shoppers — lots of shoppers — if it is to be viable. And to get to the complex they need to travel there in some kind of vehicle, so there is going to be increased human and vehicle traffic anyway.

In any case, each of the buses that carry people between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand carry an average of 25 passengers. The estimated 4,000 passengers a day would mean 160 buses.

Surely, a hypermarket such as Giant already generates more than 4,000 visitors and 160 vehicles a day. Do these not greatly disturb residents of the area?

It just doesn't make sense. But, perhaps, the issue is not really about traffic and noise but the type of human traffic that a bus terminal would attract? The residential areas around Turf City are, for the most part, quite upmarket.

While a hypermarket is not exactly exclusive, it is a convenience to have nearby. A bus terminal, with the attendant moneychangers and tour agents, is a very different proposition.

If so, why don't we just call a spade a spade and say a bus terminal is too downmarket for this upmarket residential area?

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

When i say "unleash", it doesn't mean driving like a F1 racing car.....in fact the "fastest" taxi i've been is about 120 km/h....and thats only for a short while on the ECP and there are very few vehicle then.......

I'm sure most drivers are responsible enough to drive safely.......If not, as a passenger u can always remind him, can't u?? :)

Theres also that chiming bells sound if the taxi-driver goes too fast ;)

JUNE 13, 2004
Cabbies from HELL
They speed like a madman or fall asleep at the wheel

By Arlina Arshad

MARKETING executive S.Y. Fong thought she was going to die in a taxi.

The cabby was speeding like a madman, zig-zagging in between cars and spewing Hokkien vulgarities at motorists blocking his path.

Civil servant Derek Teo had an equally traumatic encounter - his taxi driver kept falling asleep at the wheel.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) took taxi companies to task early last week, telling them to shape up and reduce the number of accidents.

Commuters The Sunday Times interviewed agreed, but said that drivers who get into near accidents, or who drive like maniacs, should also be reined in.

In each of the past few months, taxis from the four main cab companies have been in about 70 accidents; 17 more than what the LTA thinks is a reasonable number. The companies will be fined $100,000 if their drivers fail to buck up by the end of August.

LTA is giving three newest taxi companies - Smart Automobile, Trans-Cab and Premier Taxis - 12 months to stabilise operations first.

Half of the 20 taxi commuters The Sunday Times interviewed said they have had bad experiences during cab rides. These include dangerous and drunk driving, and rude behaviour.

While commuters said they would put up with bad attitude, they feared cabbies who drove dangerously and put their lives at risk.

Recounting her 'life-threatening experience' while returning home from a late-night party on New Year's Day this year, Miss Fong, 25, said: 'I was angry and wanted to get out. But I didn't want to agitate him further.'

Not wanting to break his rice bowl, she didn't report the matter to the taxi company.

Mr Teo, 28, said he noted the licence plate number of the sleepy cabby, intending to call the taxi company. 'The cabby's eyelids were drooping, and he would jerk up suddenly and shake his legs to keep awake. The taxi was wobbling from side to side. He was a hazard to himself and other road users.'

His girlfriend dissuaded him from taking further action.

Indeed, over three-quarters of those interviewed said they would give the cabbies another chance. And this may well be why the problem persists.

Cab companies said passengers should do their part by reminding cabbies to drive safely or by reporting unsafe taxi trips to the companies or LTA.

SMRT Corporation, which oversees 2,100 SMRT Taxis, said errant cabbies are issued warning letters and demerit points. Their hiring agreement is also reviewed. Counselling sessions, safe-driving courses, and accident-free rewards are some of the programmes in place to help reduce the accident rate, said its spokesman.

Commuters acknowledged that not all cabbies are drivers from hell. They said fines are short-term solutions, adding that educating drivers is the way to go in the long run. After all, as corporate communications executive Yeo Pih Hwee, 26, said, many are well-mannered and drive cautiously.

She was riled up once when one cabby swerved close to a motorcyclist. The cabby apologised later.

'It was probably done at a spur of the moment. All he needed were some lessons in managing his emotions,' she said.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 15, 2004
New homes bring hope of Buangkok MRT station opening earlier

THE release of a plot of land for homes just a five-minute walk from the Buangkok MRT station is giving renewed hope that the opening of the North-East Line (NEL) station is getting closer.

The 21,985.3 sq m site is by the junction of Sengkang Central and Buangkok Drive. Property consultants said it would add 530 condominium units to the neighbourhood.

They estimate that the 99-year leasehold site could attract bids of between $160 million and $190 million.

Yesterday, the Singapore Land Authority said the site will be put under the Government's reserve list system, meaning at least one developer must submit a bid that meets the reserve price before the site is put up for tender.

Colliers International managing director Dennis Yeo said the site, although not in a prime district, will be attractive to would-be home owners because it's near an MRT station.

Chesterton International director Nicholas Mak said condominium units there could sell for $430 to $470 psf, a price that will attract Housing Board upgraders.

'If the site is sold by year-end, it should be ready for occupancy by 2007 or 2008. There should be enough people living around the area for the MRT station to open by then,' he said.

NEL operator SBS Transit kept the Buangkok station shut last year, saying that not enough people live close by.

But recent public housing sales in the area have been encouraging. This April, HDB received 1,779 applications for 760 four-room flats to be sited beside the station.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 16, 2004
Transport
No fare hike this year despite extra security
BUS and train fares will not be raised this year despite the extra cost involved in deploying security guards at MRT stations and bus interchanges.

By Rebecca Lee

Minister of State (Transport and Health) Balaji Sadasivan gave the assurance yesterday, but did not rule out future fare hikes arising from higher security costs as 'security is a shared responsibility'.

His reply to a question by MP Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah) sparked off a debate on whether the burden of providing security for public land transport was similar to that for airports.

Dr Balaji explained that security at the airport is borne by three parties - the State, the airport terminal operator and commuters.

The State bears the cost of the security patrol by policemen and army personnel, as well as the guarding of key installations such as the VIP complex.

The airport terminal operator pays for security in areas such as the screening of passengers before they board a plane.

Users also bear part of the burden. Of the $21 passengers pay to use the airport, $6 is for a passenger security service charge.

Applying this principle of shared cost, the provision of security in the land transport system will have to be paid for by all three parties, Dr Balaji said.

Currently, the cost of providing uniformed guards is less than 1 per cent of the operator's total operating cost and less than 1 cent per journey, thus there was no need for any fare increase, he added.

Dr Balaji was addressing growing public concern in recent months over who will bear the security cost as unarmed security guards started patrolling MRT stations and bus interchanges at the beginning of this month.

Transport operators recognise that it is in their commercial interest to enhance the security of their systems and will absorb some of the costs where possible, he said.

The Government has also played its part by deploying police patrols, as well as providing training.

'Given that the security measures are implemented for the safety of commuters, it is not unreasonable for commuters to also share the cost should that become necessary,' he said, adding that any fare hike application will be scrutinised carefully by the Public Transport Council.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 16, 2004
Don't ad noise to MRT rides

GONE are the days of peaceful MRT rides, which I used to enjoy once.

The latest in a string of noisy advertisements in MRT stations is for Jack Neo's latest movie, The Best Bet.

Every 30 seconds or less, I hear the song, 'Bai liu li bai, hui bu hui kai...' ('Will I strike 4D this weekend?').

Let me do the maths for you. An average wait is about five minutes so a commuter hears that ad 10 times. And woe to late-night commuters, who wait seven to 12 minutes.

In addition, there are places where two plasma screens are not synchronised, so you can hear the ads at intervals of about 15 seconds!

And what about those of us who make transfers at interchanges? We hear it again and again.

It is with pure frustration that I am writing this. Because on Sunday, I took the MRT four times, changed trains eight times and had to wait 12 minutes for one of those trains. I heard about 100 repetitions of 'Bai liu li bai, hui bu hui kai...'

'Bai liu li bai, hui bu hui kai...' Irritating, isn't it?

BENEDICT CHIA
BING HOWE

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 17, 2004
MRT project contractor in a jam
10 stations won't get new facilities for disabled, elderly at the same time as others being retrofitted with lifts, ramps

By Karamjit Kaur

TEN Mass Rapid Transit stations will not have facilities for the disabled and elderly by the end of next year because the contractor is in financial trouble and will not be able to meet the deadline, The Straits Times has learned.

The stations, on the North-South and East-West lines, which will not have the lifts and ramps for those on wheelchairs ready on time are: Tiong Bahru, Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place, City Hall, Bugis, Lavender, Braddell, Newton, Orchard and Marina Bay.

Contractor Hua Kok Realty is now trying to pass on the project to other contractors, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesman said in reply to queries.

If that fails, the contract will be terminated and a new tender called, she said.

'This development will most likely affect the schedule of the project and we would need to review the schedule later,' she added.

The 10 are among 48 stations on the two lines that the Government decided in 1999 to retrofit with lifts.

Some will also have new facilities such as toilets for the disabled and the entire project is expected to cost $81.5 million.

Hua Kok Realty, which secured the contract for 11 underground stations in the upgrading, has completed about 35 per cent of the project.

It has completed changes at Toa Payoh station.

But because of its recent financial troubles, it stopped work at the other 10.

Its parent company, public-listed Hua Kok International, announced last week that it was in preliminary talks to sell its business in a reverse takeover, subject to shareholder and government approval.

Hua Kok Realty is the group's main operating subsidiary involved in construction works in Singapore and India. It contributed an estimated 63 per cent of the group's revenues for the half-year ended Dec 31 and owes creditors close to $40 million.

The LTA project is one of four projects it has now, the others being Housing Board jobs.

How long the 10 affected stations must wait for the new facilities will depend on whether Hua Kok can pass on the job to another contractor. A re-tender might mean completion only at the end of 2006.

Work at the other stations is running on schedule.

Since construction started in 2000, seven stations - Novena, Tampines, Dhoby Ghaut, Outram Park, Somerset, Bukit Batok and Toa Payoh - have got their new facilities.

Dover, Expo and Changi stations, which were built later and added to the existing lines, already had the facilities.

Work at another 29 above-ground stations, being done by Gammon Skanska, is about three-quarters done.

Three stations to be linked to the new Circle Line - Bishan, Buona Vista and Paya Lebar - will be retrofitted as the new line is built.

Handicaps Welfare Association past president Edmund Wan was disappointed by the delays.

But, recalling how lobbying for lifts began back when the MRT system was being planned, he added: 'Then again, we have waited almost 20 years so what's another year?'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JUNE 17, 2004
Learner drivers may opt to do test in auto car
By Christopher Tan

AS EARLY as January next year, people taking up driving will have the option of doing their driving test in an automatic car. The only catch is those who pass with an automatic car will not be allowed to drive a manual vehicle.

When asked, the Traffic Police would only say that offering tests using automatic cars was 'a logical next step'.

'Such forms of testing is available in other countries. The public too has sought to have such testing choices made available here in Singapore,' said spokesman Phillip Mah.

He said the Traffic Police was in the final stages of a review and details of the change will be announced 'in a few months'.

The Straits Times understands that the relevant parties are working towards a January deadline.

The major driving schools have already prepared for the change with some having already budgeted for a fleet of automatic vehicles, trained their instructors, and come up with new curricula.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Yay!!!

JUNE 18, 2004
Lorry licence not needed to drive hefty car
DRIVERS of hefty cars such as Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and stretch Mercedes limousines do not need to apply for a lorry licence after all.

The Traffic Police has raised the weight limit of the Class 3 driving licence to 3,000kg - from the 2,500kg ceiling which had been in place since 1977.

The rule change, effective from May 31, came shortly after the issue was highlighted by The Straits Times in January. The Housing Board also raised the weight limit of its multi-storey carparks to 2,000kg last month.

'This revision applies to only passenger cars,' a traffic police spokesman said, referring to light commercial vehicles Class 3 licence holders are also permitted to drive. Class 3 drivers cannot pilot a truck with an unladen weight of more than 2,500kg.

She said driving licences issued from this month will show the new limit, but drivers who want the figure shown on their current licences can have it pasted on at any major driving centre or at the Traffic Police Headquarters in Ubi Avenue 3.

'The revision comes as advances in technology lead to bigger and heavier cars evolving over the years,' the spokesman said. 'The increase in unladen weight can be attributed to additional safety features... without increasing the degree of skill needed to operate the machines.'

According to official statistics, there are about 60 cars here that weigh more than 2,500kg.

Motor industry sources say a handful of armoured models - driven by diplomats and businessmen - may even be over 3,000kg.

Mr Barry Kan, general manager of Malayan Motors which distributes Bentley cars, said the rule change is 'fantastic'.

'Finally, Singapore is in line with Europe in applying this rule,' he said.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

i hope they bring back the boards that show bus waiting times...

Yup...I hope they bring it soon too.......I'm so sick of waiting for buses.... :bash:

Almost every transport related project appears to be delayed nowdays. The ezlink card, the Circle Line, the North East Line and the GPS System. The boards displaying bus arrival times at bus stops have also been scrapped too. All these were supposed to have the latest technology applied on them. What happened to the days of the North South Line and the rest of the older MRT Network. They may be more inferior technology wise, but they have been rather reliable and they do not result in higher fares or delays that much.

maybe the monopoly is slackening...

but i dont really mind slightly higher fares if it means more conveniences like bus waiting times and increased frequencies.

The New Paper - 27 Jun 2004

Nets vs ez-link Two cards to pay ERP?

LTA exploring use of ez-link card for ERP, alongside CashCard
Potential savings of more than $1m a year for LTA from ez-link
By Melvin Singh& Tan May Ping

IS it time for an alternative to Nets' CashCard when paying ERP? The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is studying the use of the ez-link card for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) payment, giving consumers an alternative to Nets.

Nets is owned by a consortium of local banks. If LTA proceeds with the plan, there is potential for a consortium of foreign banks to come up with a similar cashless system for a variety of transactions using the ez-link card.

The benefits are huge, said experts. Retailers may be able to bargain for a better deal. After all, with Nets monopolising the market now, retailers have little choice but to accept Nets charges of up to 0.5 per cent for each transaction.

And for consumers, it means the option of putting your money in a foreign bank and using a cashless system at the supermarket too. For example, John, who is servicing a home loan with ABN-Amro, can now move his savings account to the same bank instead of maintaining it in a local bank just for the Nets payments.

If ABN-Amro is part of a consortium of banks that comes up with an alternative to the Nets, John can still enjoy the cashless system for payment.

Of course this means retailers may have to maintain two cashless systems. Not a problem, said retailers.

After all, there's already a separate machine each for Visa, American Express and Mastercard. What's another one?

'They take up a lot of space. But if there is a demand from customers, retailers wouldn't mind taking on another service,' said a spokesman for the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA).

It makes little difference because the machines are usually provided free-of-charge, added the spokesman.

For nearly 20 years, Nets has dominated the lucrative cashless payment scene.

In 2002, Nets made a profit of more than $7 million after tax.

There is also the CashCard, which is owned by Nets.

After the LTA-owned EZ-Link introduced its own card (the ez-link card) it decided the micropayment market was just too big to ignore.

Small transactions are worth $6 to $8 billion a year.

But while the CashCard has been raking in profits, EZ-Link has been struggling. To date, it has not recovered the operating costs of $18 million a year.

Well, LTA seems to be saying enough is enough.

Each time a car zips through the ERP gantry, a motorist pays via the CashCard. Nets makes a tidy profit for facilitating the transaction.

LTA isn't willing to say how much, but experts estimate, based on what Nets charges retailers (up to 0.5 per cent of each transaction), that it's anywhere up to $3 million a year.

Said an LTA spokesman: 'LTA bears the cost of transaction fees paid to Nets. For commercial reasons, we cannot release the costs per ERP transaction.

'Revenue from ERP fees is channelled to the Government's Consolidated Fund. The Government separately pays LTA a management fee to fund its operations.'

But instead of using its own ez-link card, LTA is forced to use the CashCard.

LTA told The New Paper it is looking into the possibility of using its own ez-link card. That's a potential savings of $3 million a year for the LTA.

An LTA spokesman said: 'We are currently looking into improving the design of the ERP In-Vehicle Unit (IU). As part of this study, we are also looking into the feasibility of developing an IU that can accept both CashCard and ez-link card for ERP payment.

'We see benefit in this as there are some 6 million ez-link cards in the hands of users.'

HUGE POTENTIAL

LTA said studies are still in the preliminary stage.

The potential for an alternative to Nets is huge. Nets achieved a turnover of $50 million in 2002.

Foreign banks with a Qualifying Full Bank (QFB) status have been eyeing a system similar to Nets.

The six QFBs are HSBC, ABN-Amro Bank, Maybank, Citibank, Standard Chartered and BNP-Paribas.

ABN-Amro's head of consumer banking, Mr Andrew Liew, had earlier said it had been a long standing requirement for the bank to be part of Nets - or an equivalent network.

Since that hasn't worked out, what better way than to start with the ez-link card?

When asked about the latest development, Stanchart's head of consumer banking in Singapore, Mr Wilson Chia, said the bank 'would certainly give due consideration to any new development that benefits our customer'.

Mr Chia said that even though the Nets and EZ-Link systems might end up providing parallel services, Stanchart would like to participate in both because it gives customers more choices.

'It's just like how banks and retailers accept both Visa and Mastercard,' added Mr Chia.

Stanchart became a partner of Nets but is limited to providing top-up services for the CashCard.

Maybank's head of retail financial services, Ms Pollie Sim, agreed that consumers would welcome the added choice and convenience.

She said of the LTA's announcement: 'It is a positive move as the consumers will now have an alternative platform for ERP payment. We would evaluate (any) business proposition accordingly.'

Stanchart's Mr Chia said it was a logical move on EZ-Link's part to venture into ERP payment as it was already being used for the bus and MRT systems.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

h2>Consumers, the biggest winners

IF foreign banks do form a separate consortium with EZ-Link, the biggest winners would be the consumers.

For starters, they will have more choices since the Nets and EZ-Link systems would compete for users.

That also implies that consumers would be able to keep money in banks other than the three local ones without having to forgo the convenience of cashless payment.

Two competing systems could also drive down the transaction fees charged by the companies.

That would benefit consumers, said the Consumers Association of Singapore's executive director, Mr Seah Seng Choon.

Mr Seah said: 'With competition, there is a possibility that transaction costs can be driven down. Hopefully, this would be translated to lower costs to consumers.'


And now that EZ-Link might be expanding the use of its card, it should also consider lowering the cost of acquiring the card, said Mr Seah.

Buyers now have to pay $5, which is non-refundable, for an ez-link card.

But it's not only consumers who benefit. Retailers, too, will have more choices.

A spokesman for the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) said that more competition by cashless service providers is good for retailers.

Said the SRA spokesman: 'If there are two service providers, retailers would view the propositions on both sides, meaning that the new provider's rates would have to be as competitive or even lower than that of the old provider.'

This competition could force down the service fee paid by retailers to the providers.

Ultimately, if there is a demand by customers for a particular provider, retailers normally accept it for their customers' convenience, said the spokesman.

'But in the end, my feeling is that the market is too small for two providers,' added the spokesman.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Its about time! The contactless smart card is already the medium for payment of carpark charges and toll charges in Hong Kong and Malaysia respectively. Its about time the ezlink card functions as truly a transportation all in one card, after all, that was its main function. Settle that before moving onto other areas like McDonalds purchase payments where hardly anyone ever uses and I have seen none yet so far. Have you all used it? And I remember there's a branch of Cold Storage or NTUC FairPrice that accepts that form of payment too. Do they expect that we carry so much in our ezlink cards? These are all places that we usually spend more than 10 dollars in, not like public transportation a dollar plus etc. If they wanted to go into other areas why not start by enabling us to pay for drinks at the machine or even public phones just in case we don't have our mobiles with us. Hong Kong even maxmises the use of its high capacity cards by creating a membership scheme that rewards commuters for travelling with them using the card. Sure they started off much earlier, but even so back then they did progress at a very fast pace in coming up with new ideas. A recent example, the Taipei EasyCard, launched only last year I think. It is already accepted in many areas, perhaps even more than the areas in Singapore, and its web site is frequently updated, user friendly and eye pleasing and it even has a member system now.

i've used the macdonald thing... quite convenient... i think there should just be an all in one card... so troublesome to have more than one.

about carrying alot of money in ezlink card, you could just use giro perhaps?

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 29 June 2004 0840 hrs

Open up transit-link scheme, LTA urged
By Tay Tsen-Waye, TODAY

SINGAPORE : According to a recent report, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is studying the use of the ez-link card for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) payment and this could possibly break the dominance now enjoyed by Nets.

But far from worrying about competition, electronic payment services company Nets said it welcomed the prospect.

In fact, it hopes the new spirit of competition will lead the LTA to open up the transit-link payment system for MRT and bus services to Nets as well.

Said Nets chief executive officer Poh Mui Hoon: "If selected areas of operations are going to be opened up, or more payment methods are to be introduced, then it should apply across the board and not selectively in certain areas. And that would include the transit system."

And if given the opportunity to offer the CashCard payment system to bus and train commuters, Nets would be "very keen", she said. "We have indicated our interest in going into transit in the past. If the Government is going to make a move to introduce certain competition, then it should be across the board ..."

While acknowledging that an alternative payment system could potentially take away "some" of Nets' ERP business - worth more than $74 million last year - Ms Poh was confident that with the pervasiveness and efficiency of CashCard services, it would remain the more attractive choice for consumers. "Whatever the final decision, the ultimate beneficiary is the consumer. And that's the point of any good business," she said.

But would it be fair to pit the CashCard against the ez-link card, since the latter charges a non-refundable five-dollar fee?

Ms Poh said: "Why should you limit (the options) - Why should the consumer be put in a situation where he has to use a particular card - It's about choice, isn't it?"

And though she agreed in principle that competition is welcome in the ERP arena, Ms Poh was sceptical as to whether a painless system could be put in place.

Using the ez-link card for ERP payments would require the development of a new in-vehicle unit (IU) capable of accepting both cards. Ms Poh wonders if this might not translate to additional costs for the driver. "If you are already paying X dollars, why should you change it? If you have a new car, the IU has to be priced competitively. Why would you pay for a more expensive IU?"

And even if the new IU was accepted, Ms Poh expressed confidence that the Nets CashCards, which can be used for payments at 30,000 points of access and with 19,000 merchants in Singapore, is ready for the competition.

"Nets has managed the ERP very well. Our CashCard is also in retail. So if any other parties wanted to come into those areas, they'll be welcome to compete, but they will have to deliver the value," she said.

Due to the large volume of Eftpos (electronic funds-transfer at point of sale) transactions processed by Nets, CashCard enjoys economies of scale, which Ms Poh said, lowers the cost to merchants.

Last year, Nets processed 7 billion transactions, accounting for more than $55 million in revenue - an increase from $50 million in 2002, but a marginal drop from $56 million in 2001.

And despite its market dominance in cashless payments, Nets is looking for ways to improve the value of its products by increasing its scope of usage.

Recently, it introduced the CashBack system at 193 outlets, including Singapore Post, NTUC Fairprice outlets, and BP stations. It is also looking into biometrics technology to improve the authentication of CashCard users.

And in terms of teaming up with foreign banks to offer a cashless system for a variety of transactions similar to the Nets' local consortium, Ms Poh said it was already working with Standard Chartered in its Eftpos system.

Said Ms Poh: "Nets has had 20 years of experience processing bank cards, ATM cards, debit cards and the Eftpos. We would be very keen to work with qualifying full banks (QFB) to see how we can offer a service. If they are interested to form an alternative network, Nets would be keen to see how to provide the switching services and manage the network. Nets has all the capabilities and the scale to help QFBs." - TODAY

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

The New Paper - 02 Jul 2004

Leak on mobile camera locations? It's fine with us, say Traffic Police

HAS there been a leak about where the police are likely to set up mobile speed cameras?

An e-mail message has been going around, warning motorists about certain roads.

But the Traffic Police feel that's not such a bad thing, if it makes drivers more careful.

The e-mail lists 11 locations, two of them as 'verified'. It was not known who 'verified' this or how.

As these cameras are portable, they can be set up on any road.

They are supported by a tripod stand and can easily be hidden from view as they are not bulky.

A policeman standing anywhere along the road can operate the equipment by himself.

Using laser technology, the cameras detect speeding vehicles and capture images of the vehicle.

Police spokesman ASP Victor Keong would not say if the list was authentic.

But it does help, as drivers would observe the speed limit on the roads they think have mobile speed cameras, said the Traffic Police.

The commander of the Traffic Police, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Teo Kian Teck, said: 'That (sharing of information) itself is an indication of our enforcement impact. Traffic Police cannot stop them from sharing such information.

'If that sharing leads to better driving behaviour, we are totally fine with that.

'Ultimately, our aim is not to catch people but to deter them from speeding.

'We hope motorists will realise that speeding kills and that their time on the roads will be better spent being mindful of others rather than being focused on avoiding detection.'

The Traffic Police have stepped up enforcement in the last two years.

Last year, 130,385 traffic summonses were issued to motorists, compared with 106,903 in 2002.

These were for offences like beating the red light and speeding.

MORE SPEEDING TICKETS

From January to March this year, 13,173 speeding tickets were issued, 3,271 more than in the first quarter of last year.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Teo said: 'We want to ensure greater compliance from motorists in their driving behaviour.

'The Traffic Police would like to send a strong message to road users that we are continually on the lookout for serious violators.

'We will not hesitate to (take enforcement action) against them and pedestrians too, as all road users need to be made aware of their actions on the roads.

'Their actions affect not only their own safety, but that of others. All play a part in road safety.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hidden eyes - believe it or not

-Upper Serangoon Road, 9 to 11am ('verified')

-Farrer Road/Adam Road, 10am onwards

-East Coast Parkway after Bayshore exit, after 5pm

-Bartley Underpass

-Braddell Road, near the long pedestrian bridge near Singapore Press Holdings

-West Coast Highway, before the new McDonald's

-Tampines Expressway in both directions under the Tampines Flyover ('verified')

-Tampines Avenue 10

-Along Jalan Boon Lay from Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), towards Jurong Point at the junction of Chin Bee Drive

-Clementi Avenue 6 from Pan Island Expressway to AYE, just before entering the underpass at the traffic light junction of Clementi Loop Road along Orchid Country Club.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

JULY 3, 2004
Comfort rewards more cabbies for service
Five per cent more Yellow-Top and Comfort cabbies get cash awards from Comfort Transportation for good service this year
By Jessica Lim

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) may be coming down hard on cab companies for failing to keep accident rates down but yesterday, more drivers from the largest operator were rewarded for good service than the year before.

Comfort Transportation gave cash awards to 10,717 of the more than 11,000 full-time drivers of its Yellow-Top and Comfort taxis, a five per cent increase.

Eight out of 10 got at least $200 for not earning any demerit points.

About 1,400 received less while 70 got nothing - compared to last year's 2,800 underperformers.

About 1,600 did so well they got up to $600. One of them is Mr Anthony Chee, who received 11 commendations last year for his clean taxi, politeness and good knowledge of roads.

A cabby for almost 10 years, he recalls taking a woman about to give birth to hospital. 'I told her that I'll try to go as fast as I can while driving safely. At the hospital, I opened the door for her and went to get her a wheelchair.'

A clean taxi is such an obsession for Mr Chee that he would drive to a petrol kiosk to clean it if passengers had dirtied it. He said: 'That way, passengers who take my cab will be happy. Who wants to sit in a dirty taxi anyway?'

Comfort Transportation said it spent about $2.2 million on these rewards which, since 2001, were also given to relief drivers. About 130 relief drivers received token sums this year.

Last month, the LTA had warned the four main cab companies that they face a fine of up to $100,000 after next month if their accident rate did not go down.

In each of the past few months, their taxis had been in about 70 accidents, 17 more than what the LTA considers acceptable.

The chief operating officer of Comfort and Yellow-Top, Mr John Lee, hopes the award would encourage the drivers to continue providing good service.

Taxi-driver Chee shares his wish. 'Many times, the commendations I receive come unexpectedly. I hope other cabbies will do the same, that's good enough for me.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

haiyar stupid speed cams. what's the speed limit on roads?

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 03 July 2004 1247 hrs

Police detain 210 motorists for traffic offences

SINGAPORE : Traffic Police detained 210 motorists for various offences in a six-hour operation on Friday night.

Most were caught for speeding - 103 motorists!

A total of 18 motorists were stopped for drink driving, while 88 were found to have made illegal modifications to their vehicles.

One motorist was also arrested for driving without a valid driving licence.

The operation, which also involved Land Transport Authority enforcement officers, was conducted in Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, Clementi, and the Pan Island and Seletar Expressways.

The Traffic Police said regular operations helped raise awareness of road safety and get motorists to comply to traffic rules and regulations.

It said accidents due to speed-related factors had increased by 22 cases to 288 cases in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year.

Motorists convicted of speeding can be fined up to $2,000, jailed up to six months and have their driving licence suspended. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

JULY 1, 2004
HALF-YEAR FIGURES LIKELY TO RISE 25%
Car sales set to hit all-time high
By Christopher Tan

THE number of cars sold in the first half of the year, which ended yesterday, is likely to exceed 47,000, a 25 per cent jump on the same period last year.

Preliminary figures, covering only members of the Motor Traders Association (MTA), show total passenger car sales in the first half at 43,000 to 44,000. This is up from the 34,540 registered in the first six months of last year.

Sales by MTA members account for 90 per cent of the market here. With total deliveries - including parallel imports - having crossed the 40,000 mark by last month, the overall first-half figure should be at least 47,000.

Unless momentum flags, last year's all-time record of 81,259 units sold will be broken.

Among the reasons for the strong demand, according to Citigroup Smith Barney research head Lim Jit Soon, was the fact that 'banks have been very aggressive in offering car loans, and that has made cars more affordable'.

One indicator can be seen in the number of cars scrapped, which has greatly surpassed Land Transport Authority (LTA) expectations.

In just the first five months of this year, LTA statistics show that 49,151 vehicles - the bulk of them cars - were taken off the road. This is 8 per cent more than last year.

The LTA's allocation of certificates of entitlement (COEs) to replace scrapped vehicles, for the whole of this year, is just 66,900.

Most motor traders expect an upward adjustment in October, though one commented: 'This year's COE quota is already a record. If more are released, the market may not be able to absorb them.'

Strong demand for cars has already driven COE premiums up by $5,000 to $8,000 since January - depleting savings from a cut in upfront vehicle taxes early this year.

Leading the runaway market, despite an ageing model line-up and newer products from rivals, is Toyota.

The marque remains the favourite, with distributor Borneo Motors delivering about 13,000 units in the first six months of this year, compared to 10,000 in the same period last year.

The Toyota Camry, launched in late 2001, still outpaces its arch-rival, the Nissan Cefiro. Up to May, 1,888 Camrys were registered, versus 1,336 Cefiros.

Borneo Motors managing director Mark Choong said buyer response to the recently introduced Thai-made Camry has been 'very good', but maintaining overall sales in the second half will be 'tough' as competition grows. He added that one new product is planned towards the end of the year.

Hyundai comes a distant second with sales of about 7,000, followed by Nissan at 6,500. Rounding out the top 10 are Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Kia and newcomer Chevrolet.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JULY 10, 2004
NTU GRADUATION
Cellphone way to beat traffic jams
By Maria Almenoar

TIRED of being stuck in a traffic jam when rushing to a destination in a cab, graduand Liu Hui decided to find a way to avoid such frustrating situations.

As part of her final-year project at the School of Computer Engineering in Nanyang Technological University, she took a suggestion made by the sub-dean and turned it into a winning software.

It can relay up-to-date images of traffic situations on the expressways to mobile phones.

Her project attracted the attention of two telecommunications companies, Motorola and DNA Communications, which plan to offer the application in the new Motorola i830 phones to be launched next month.

'It was a combination of inspiration from my professor, an interest in this field of work and just hating traffic jams,' said the Singapore permanent resident who arrived here in 1998 from the eastern province of Shandong in China.

Miss Liu, an only child, came here on a scholarship. She decided to tap existing Land Transport Authority Web cameras and devise a way to transfer their still images to mobile phones.

The 23-year-old also figured out how to manipulate the size and quality of the images so they could be received clearly on a cellphone screen.

Miss Liu, who now works with Motorola as a software engineer, is part of the largest cohort of NTU students graduating next week - 5,426 from seven of the university's schools.

Her father, who has a manufacturing business in China, and her mother, who markets tablecloths, are here for her graduation.

A total of 11 ceremonies will be held from Monday to July 17. The 5,000-plus graduates include the pioneer batches from four master's programmes - bioinformatics, technology and operations management, knowledge management, and environmental science and engineering.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, NTU's deputy president, Professor Er Meng Hwa, said: 'We are very proud of our students and we hope that the education and their experience at NTU will come in useful in whichever path they choose to embark on.'

NTU will have graduates from more varied disciplines in the coming years. They include the first batch of students from its School of Biological Sciences, who will graduate next year, and the intakes for two new schools - humanities and social sciences; and art, design and media - which start this academic year. Its School of Physical Sciences opens next year.

Miss Liu, whose graduation ceremony is on Monday, says it is highly likely she will be part of another such NTU occasion in a couple of years, as she is hoping to join a master's programme there soon.

'There's just so much to learn and find out about. And who knows, I might invent something again,' she said.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JULY 12, 2004
Stiff competition driving more cabbies off the road
By Christopher Tan

MORE cabs on the road may be good news to the commuter, but cabbies unable to cope with the competition posed by the rising numbers are throwing in the towel.

Although none of the taxi operators would admit it, anecdotes from the industry point to more and more drivers calling it a day and returning their vehicles.

'The market is quite saturated, and the going is quite tough,' said an industry source.

'Cabbies used to have a ready pool of relief drivers to share the rental of the vehicle, but these days, all these relief drivers have been sucked up by the new companies.'

According to Land Transport Authority data, Singapore's taxi fleet has grown by 5 per cent this year. As of May, there were 20,048 cabs on the road, compared with 19,132 the same time last year.

Since 1993, the taxi population has ballooned by 50 per cent. If one were to go back to 1984, it has almost doubled.

'The three new players - Smart Automobile, Trans-Cab and Premier Taxis - have already added 450 cabs to the market,' the source said.

And SMRT Taxis plans to increase its fleet to 3,000 by end of the year. It has about 2,000 now.

The Straits Times managed to track down several taxi drivers who have quit.

One, Mr L.C. Heng, 57, a veteran of 17 years, returned his cab to ComfortDelGro last month.

'I can't find relief drivers. All the relief drivers want to drive big taxis and new ones,' he said.

Mr Heng said he cannot afford to foot the cab's daily rental of about $80 himself. And it does not help that takings are down because of the enlarged cab population.

'Previously, I can make $100 a day, now I drive 12 hours and make only $40 to $50.'

He said he will switch to relief driving.

'Shorter hours, less stress, and it's easier for me to go on holiday,' he said. 'Also, there's not much benefit being the main hirer.'

Another driver, Mr Benson Lim, 56, quit last Friday.

'I've been driving for over 20 years, and it's only in the last three years or so that I can't find relief drivers,' he said, adding that he, too, might turn to relieving other cabbies.

Cabby C.K. Chan, 52, moaned: 'The market is very bad. Twelve years ago when I started, I could make $3,000 a month.

'Now, it's $1,500 - and only if I drive 12 hours a day.'

If not for contracts to ferry company workers, he would find it hard to make ends meet.

'People become taxi-drivers mostly because they can't find any other job,' he said. 'So if they quit, it means things must be quite bad.'

Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro, Singapore's largest taxi operator with more than 16,000 cabs, said: 'We're unable to provide details on the return rate by our drivers, but it is slightly higher than in previous years.

'This is not unexpected though, given that the economy is picking up and there're three new cab companies around.'

SMRT Taxis, however, claimed it has not noted any change in the number of cabs returned, but an insider said 'those who quit are mainly the new ones... those who came in for a year or less' because they discover that 'it's not as easy as they thought'.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JULY 12, 2004
Stiff competition driving more cabbies off the road
By Christopher Tan

MORE cabs on the road may be good news to the commuter, but cabbies unable to cope with the competition posed by the rising numbers are throwing in the towel.

Although none of the taxi operators would admit it, anecdotes from the industry point to more and more drivers calling it a day and returning their vehicles.

'The market is quite saturated, and the going is quite tough,' said an industry source.

'Cabbies used to have a ready pool of relief drivers to share the rental of the vehicle, but these days, all these relief drivers have been sucked up by the new companies.'

According to Land Transport Authority data, Singapore's taxi fleet has grown by 5 per cent this year. As of May, there were 20,048 cabs on the road, compared with 19,132 the same time last year.

Since 1993, the taxi population has ballooned by 50 per cent. If one were to go back to 1984, it has almost doubled.

'The three new players - Smart Automobile, Trans-Cab and Premier Taxis - have already added 450 cabs to the market,' the source said.

And SMRT Taxis plans to increase its fleet to 3,000 by end of the year. It has about 2,000 now.

The Straits Times managed to track down several taxi drivers who have quit.

One, Mr L.C. Heng, 57, a veteran of 17 years, returned his cab to ComfortDelGro last month.

'I can't find relief drivers. All the relief drivers want to drive big taxis and new ones,' he said.

Mr Heng said he cannot afford to foot the cab's daily rental of about $80 himself. And it does not help that takings are down because of the enlarged cab population.

'Previously, I can make $100 a day, now I drive 12 hours and make only $40 to $50.'

He said he will switch to relief driving.

'Shorter hours, less stress, and it's easier for me to go on holiday,' he said. 'Also, there's not much benefit being the main hirer.'

Another driver, Mr Benson Lim, 56, quit last Friday.

'I've been driving for over 20 years, and it's only in the last three years or so that I can't find relief drivers,' he said, adding that he, too, might turn to relieving other cabbies.

Cabby C.K. Chan, 52, moaned: 'The market is very bad. Twelve years ago when I started, I could make $3,000 a month.

'Now, it's $1,500 - and only if I drive 12 hours a day.'

If not for contracts to ferry company workers, he would find it hard to make ends meet.

'People become taxi-drivers mostly because they can't find any other job,' he said. 'So if they quit, it means things must be quite bad.'

Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro, Singapore's largest taxi operator with more than 16,000 cabs, said: 'We're unable to provide details on the return rate by our drivers, but it is slightly higher than in previous years.

'This is not unexpected though, given that the economy is picking up and there're three new cab companies around.'

SMRT Taxis, however, claimed it has not noted any change in the number of cabs returned, but an insider said 'those who quit are mainly the new ones... those who came in for a year or less' because they discover that 'it's not as easy as they thought'.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

I find this a bit silly... i mean, all those cab companies suddenly being born and those already in existence expanding...... it's like a badly time move isn't it? Don't you find it silly? Hmm.....

JULY 15, 2004
New device to help cabbies drive safely
By Goh Chin Lian

TRANSPORT giant ComfortDelgro is using a new camera and sensor system that can tell if a cabby is braking too abruptly or tailgating a vehicle, to improve driving safety.

Its new cabbies and those who have more than two accidents in a year will have to go for a driving session with the device tracking their every action on the road.

A driver being assessed will have four digital cameras mounted on his vehicle. These will record traffic conditions, the focus of the driver's eye and his head movement.

A sensor will pick up what a passenger would feel when the driver accelerates, brakes and turns a corner. A laptop computer will analyse the performance instantly.

The whole assessment takes about 90 minutes.

Comfort Driving Centre bought four units of the portable device at US$50,000 (S$85,700) each and will carry out the assessments for ComfortDelgro, the biggest cab owner here with 16,700 Comfort, Yellow-Top and CityCab taxis.

The move comes at a time when cabbies are being criticised for the number of accidents they get into.

The Land Transport Authority said last month that going by its monthly audits, cab companies have failed to keep a cap on the number of accidents.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Ha! Finally! But frankly. i doubt it'll have excellent results.

JULY 19, 2004
British buses to be Comfortingly familiar
By Neo Hui Min

LONDON - Soon a Singaporean boarding a bus in London may wonder if the driver took a wrong turn and ended up in the British capital by mistake.

That is because it will not be long before bus drivers here start wearing uniforms with a brand that is more familiar back home - ComfortDelgro.

Even the name of the London black cab booking service Comcab has a familiar ring to it. It, too, is part of the ComfortDelgro group.

One of Singapore's main transport companies is now among the top five players in London's competitive public transport environment. Known here as Metroline, ComfortDelgro's London bus operations have captured 12 per cent of the market share. It services 84 routes, mostly in the capital's north-western areas.

It also handles booking services for about 3,800 cabs in London, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

ComfortDelgro acquired the business in 2000, after bus services here were privatised.

The British subsidiary contributes about $500 million to the group, just under a third of total group turnover. Last year, the total group turnover was $1.8 billion.

Metroline managing director Steve McAleavy said the company has since been actively branding its group's name in its communications.

Industry players who realise the bus company is now Singaporean-owned are always curious to find out what it means to be working for a company so far from home.

'People are used to the idea of working for European companies, but Singapore is over 6,000 miles away and seven or eight hours ahead,' said Mr McAleavy.

'Some people can't get their heads round to the idea of Singapore, it just stretches the imagination because it is so far away.'

Despite the distance, changes have come swiftly since the takeover, he said. The bus fleets have been renewed and buses are getting better engineering.

The Singaporean group has also invested heavily in technology, even fitting buses with a satellite positioning system that tells drivers where the next buses in front and behind them are in relation to their current location.

'If you lived in London you would have experienced waiting ages for a bus, and then all of a sudden, three or four of them would arrive at once,' Mr McAleavy said. 'This new GPRS system helps drivers to gauge the distances between each other.'

About 280 of its 1,000 or so buses now boast the system, and it will soon be fitted to the rest.

The modernisation of the operations is a significant change to a sector which has not always been known for technological innovation.

The company is now trying to increase its market share against 31 other bus companies in London. It is also awaiting the coming privatisation of a quarter of Dublin's state-owned bus services, with intentions to buy some of the routes.

Finance director Steve Ellis said: 'We have big ambitions.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 19 Jul 2004

DaimlerChrysler aims for mass-market hydrogen-fuelled cars in 2014

SINGAPORE - Car giant DaimlerChrysler said on Monday it hopes to sell pollution-free, fuel-cell cars to the public within a decade but acknowledges that making them cheap enough will be its toughest challenge.

'We can expect to see a commercialisation of fuel-cell cars in ten years,' DaimlerChrysler's Head of Technology and Environmental Communications Edith Meissner said in Singapore as the company delivered five cars for road testing in the Southeast Asian city.

Since 1994, DaimlerChrysler has invested US$1 billion (S$1.7 billion) in the technology, which powers vehicles with compressed hydrogen. The engines emit no pollutants as the only waste material is pure water.

Prototype hydrogen-fuelled vehicles typically cost US$1 million to US$2 million each, including the US$200,000 cost of making the fuel cell itself, according to industry estimates.

'At the moment, the cost is the biggest challenge we face. We are sure that with the economies of scale and the development of the techniques we will reach the goal,' she added.

DaimlerChrysler is loaning five Mercedes-Benz A-class 'F-Cell' cars to companies and a government department in Singapore for two years of road testing. It did not say what each model cost.

Worldwide there'll be 60 such DaimlerChrysler vehicles in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Berlin by the end of the year, the company said.

Singapore was chosen as one of the test sites because of its tropical climate and government support for cleaner technologies, DaimlerChrysler's fuel cell director Dr Andreas Truckenbrodt said.

It'll cost S$50 to refuel the car with a tank that can travel 100 miles (160 kilometres). Refuelling can be done at a specially equipped gas station in the eastern part of Singapore.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

JULY 19, 2004
New flyover to finish ring road project
By Goh Chin Lian

A NEW flyover linking Braddell Road to Lornie Road will be built by the end of 2007, the last project in a S$400 million-plus exercise to direct motorists away from the city centre by easing traffic on an outer ring of roads.

Those who use the flyover will be able to bypass two junctions, one at the main entrance to Mount Alvernia Hospital, the other at MacRitchie Reservoir.

It takes at least two to three minutes to clear the junctions now during the morning rush hour.

The 1.5km flyover will start in front of Braddell-Westlake Secondary School, in Braddell Road, run above the existing Marymount Flyover and merge into a viaduct that links Thomson Road to Lornie Road.

Construction work on the project is expected to begin by the end of the year.

The LTA has so far spent S$400 million to build two viaducts, four flyovers and six underpasses, as well as other road works, to ease the traffic at 12 junctions along Bartley, Braddell, Lornie, Adam and Farrer roads, as well as along Queensway up to the Ayer Rajah Expressway.

Engineers of the former Public Works Department came up with the idea of a route that bypasses the city in the early 1970s, so motorists need not enter the city centre to traverse the island.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

JULY 20, 2004
Perched on taxi-tops, moving and soaring
By Suryani Omar

TAXI-TOP advertising is going places.

In response to surging demand from advertisers, ComfortDelGro has decided to dramatically increase the number of its taxis with roof-top advertisements.

By May next year, the number of these taxi-top ads will leap by 3,000 or 38 per cent from the current 7,800 taxis out of the company's total fleet of 16,700.

The company says that demand for these constantly moving ads is strongest from banks, telcos and camera makers.

Comfort Ads, a part of ComfortDelGro, is the biggest player in the taxi-top ad sector with 85 per cent market share on its Comfort, City Cab and Yellow-Top taxi.

SMRT taxis also carry such ads.

ComfortDelGro is the world's second-largest land transport company.

In an interview with The Straits Times, the general manager of Comfort Ads, Mr Thomas Ang, said that with the liberalisation of the banking sector, ad campaigns for credit card and unsecured loans from banks have increased.

'Business picked up around mid-May and demand has been growing steadily.

'Banks, telcos and camera companies have upped advertisements by about 20 per cent.'

Comfort Ads introduced the taxi-top ads 10 years ago, starting out with just 750 taxis.

Mr Ang said that the key appeal of taxi-top ads was the wide reach they achieved simply because they are 'on the move'.

One company that is very satisfied with this form of advertising is travel portal Zuji.

'Cabs are highly visible, mobile and, therefore, a perfect choice to carry the Zuji message to large numbers of people in Singapore,' said Zuji's director for marketing, Mr Philip Ho.

Ms Carolyn Kan, managing director of M&C Saatchi, which worked on Zuji's taxi-top ad campaign, agreed.

For the campaign, 250 cabs were painted to look like popular brands of taxis in Sweden, Jamaica, Brazil and the United States.

In an e-mail interview, Ms Kan said: 'Taxi advertising was chosen primarily because it presented an opportunity for a fresh way to associate Zuji with travel amongst our target audience.

'This launch campaign of which taxi advertising was key, doubled Zuji's brand awareness and quadrupled sales in just three months from the launch.'

Comfort Ads' taxi-top ads make up 7.5 per cent of the total market share for the outdoor advertising industry.

The outdoor advertising industry is worth about $100 million a year.

Advertising rates for taxi tops range between $75 and $110 per month for a cab, depending on the number and the type of taxi-top chosen.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

First 'green' Merc handed over for trials

NEA to test car that runs on hydrogen fuel in everyday traffic conditions

By Radha Basu

THE first vehicle in a small fleet of experimental, zero-pollution cars was handed over to the National Environment Agency (NEA) at the Botanic Gardens yesterday.


The Mercedes Benz fuel-cell car - built at a reported price tag of $1.8 million - runs on hydrogen, which combines with oxygen in the air to power the engine.

Along with energy, only water and steam are produced. Cars powered by conventional fuels such as petrol and diesel produce noxious fumes.

Six such cars, which have maximum speeds of 140kmh, will be based in Singapore, as part of a global DaimlerChrysler venture.

A total of 60 will be tested over two years in Singapore, Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Berlin, in the largest project of its kind in the world.

Also launched yesterday, in Upper East Coast Road, was the first hydrogen-refuelling facility here.

Speaking at the launch, Environment Minister Lim Swee Say noted that 'besides offering greater convenience to vehicle operators, co-location with existing infrastructure could reduce upfront investment and lower operating cost'.

The facility, owned by British Petroleum (BP), is sited at a regular petrol kiosk. A second may be opened by the first quarter of next year.

NEA and four other project partners here - Lufthansa Airlines, tyre-maker Michelin, Conrad Centennial Singapore hotel and BP - will each get a fuel cell car.

The sixth will be used by DaimlerChrysler staff.

NEA chief executive officer Lam Joon Khoi told The Straits Times his officers would provide regular, practical insights on vehicle performance in everyday traffic conditions.

But it will be many years before ordinary Singaporeans will get to whizz about in hydrogen-powered cars, which have engines that now cost 10 times more than conventional ones.

DaimlerChrysler said it does not expect commercial roll-outs before 2010. Dr Andreas Truckenbrodt, who heads its fuel-cell research programme, said the use of platinum - one of the world's most expensive metals - in the fuel cell was driving up costs, but added that alternatives were being explored.

Yet siting the test-driving here is important. Mr Lim said it was important for Singapore to 'keep on pushing the frontiers of technology'.

'It is important that we get involved early to know about the technology and implementation issues, so that when the technology is ready for large-scale deployment, we can be one of the early adopters.'

Having driven the new car, he also said the engine was very smooth and quiet.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-20/p6c.jpg
A smooth ride for Environment Minister Lim Swee Say, who drove a hydrogen fuell cell Mercedes Benz to the BP kiosk in Upper East Coast Road.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-20/p6b.jpg
The BP kiosk on Upper east Coast Road is the first hydrogen-refuelling facility here, and the car had more hydrogen fuel pumped in. Five other such cars are on the way.

BP plans station that makes fuel

By Christopher Tan

A REFUELLING station that makes its own fuel is the promise to be found in British Petroleum's (BP) second hydrogen pump in Singapore.

The station, expected to be up and running by the first quarter of next year, will produce its own hydrogen gas by using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, a process known as electrolysis.

It's one step ahead of the first hydrogen station that was opened officially yesterday. Located in a regular BP petrol kiosk in Upper East Coast Road, its supply of hydrogen arrives in trucks.

BP's general manager for hydrogen, Mr Michael Jones, told The Straits Times that the main cost of hydrogen fuel is transportation.

'We produce enough hydrogen at our oil refineries to refuel 10 million vehicles. And the cost is the same as petrol before taxes,' he said.

'With electricity costing about 15 Singapore cents per kilowatt-hour here, we envisage that hydrogen produced through electrolysis will cost $11 to $12 per kg.'

The figure, which excludes tax and profit, is half the $25-per-kg rate chalked up at the East Coast station, said Mr Jones.

The environmentally-friendly fuel is being used to power six fuel-cell Mercedes-Benz cars on a government-sponsored trial here.

Besides electrolysis, hydrogen can be made from natural gas. BP sees this as the most economical method, but Mr Jones noted that piped gas is currently unavailable at the high-tech one-north hub in Buona Vista, where the second pump will be sited.

Like the East Coast pump, it will cost about $1 million to build.

Mr Jones said BP is the world's leading supplier of automotive hydrogen and operates 10 stations, with four producing the gas where they're sited.

After Singapore, BP will open a station in Australia later this year, with the United States and China next on the list.

'By then, we'd have in excess of 20 stations,' Mr Jones said, and they are in such European cities as Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Munich, Porto and Stuttgart.

'That is more demonstration projects than any other energy company. It reflects our approach of 'learning by doing'.'

JULY 27, 2004
Longest flyover set to be ready in mid-2005
Troubled contractor L&M Prestressing will be allowed to complete second part of project, work on which had stopped for 10 months

By Christopher Tan

SINGAPORE'S longest flyover, where work had stopped for 10 months because of the contractor's money problems, is now slated to be ready in the middle of next year.

http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-27/h3.jpg
The 5km flyover linking Telok Blangah Road and the West Coast Highway was supposed to have been opened to traffic by last year but contractor L&M Prestressing ran into financial problems. Three-quarters of the project had been done and the final phase - laying the tarmac - would take place next March.

And contrary to speculation, the same contractor, L&M Prestressing, will complete the second portion of the 5km flyover, said the Land Transport Authority yesterday. It would link Telok Blangah Road to the West Coast Highway.

An LTA spokesman said three-quarters of the project had been completed and the final phase - laying the tarmac - would take place next March. p> 'Based on the revised programme, the project is scheduled to complete in the first half of 2005,' she said. 'We are working closely with L&M Prestressing to ensure that they complete the project by this time.'

However, L&M director Yeo Boon Siah said the company planned to complete the project by the first quarter of next year.

The flyover was to have been ready some time in the last quarter of last year but L&M Prestressing ran into financial problems soon after starting work on it in 2000.

Mr Yeo said yesterday that the company had settled all unpaid salaries, an issue some of its employees had brought to the Ministry of Manpower. The company's parent, Indonesian-owned L&M Group Investments, is expected to raise $10 million this week, with a placement of one billion new shares.

Mr Yeo told The Straits Times that majority shareholder Edwin Soeryadjaya - of the family that once owned Indonesian conglomerate Astra International - has undertaken to buy any unsubscribed shares.

The delayed flyover is among a handful of LTA projects that have hit the skids recently. Others include the Queensway-Commonwealth Avenue road interchange and the first stages of the Circle MRT Line.

'We are naturally not happy with the progress,' the LTA spokesman said of L&M's work, 'but we should allow the contractor the greatest leeway to try to complete the job.'

Will the contractor face any penalties for late completion, as provided for in most public works contracts?

'They had earlier put in some claims on meeting unforeseen ground conditions and we will have claims against them for the delay,' the spokesman said, adding that 'this will be sorted out'.

L&M's Mr Yeo said the project was unprofitable but declined to disclose the loss. 'As you'd expect, it is quite substantial,' he added.

According to records, the Pasir Panjang viaduct costs $142 million, and L&M's portion was secured for $58 million.

Mr Yeo also said that L&M Prestressing has another loss-maker on its hands: a $72-million project to build a viaduct linking Bartley Road to Airport Road. This is scheduled to be up by late 2006.

These unprofitable projects have made L&M Prestressing wary, said Mr Yeo. He added that the company would not be tendering for any LTA projects in future and would seek new business outside Singapore.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

BP plans station that makes fuel

By Christopher Tan

A REFUELLING station that makes its own fuel is the promise to be found in British Petroleum's (BP) second hydrogen pump in Singapore.

The station, expected to be up and running by the first quarter of next year, will produce its own hydrogen gas by using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms, a process known as electrolysis.

It's one step ahead of the first hydrogen station that was opened officially yesterday. Located in a regular BP petrol kiosk in Upper East Coast Road, its supply of hydrogen arrives in trucks.
........


Taken from bus......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/ylstan03/Bus%20ride/DSCN20471.jpg

Hahaha!! What a coincidence!

Sometimes I think you shd be a journalist instead. :D

Hahaha!! What a coincidence!

Sometimes I think you shd be a journalist instead. :D

Emmm I never say teaching will be my career for life(at least for now since I've not really try it).............:D

Oooo....we shall see then? :D

Anyway, I pass by that Pasir Panjang Viaduct everytime on my way to school. The funny thing is I never knew it was stalled! :eek:

Oooo....we shall see then? :D

Anyway, I pass by that Pasir Panjang Viaduct everytime on my way to school. The funny thing is I never knew it was stalled! :eek:

I used to pass by it everytime too.......I was wondering how come they took so long........(I always think that way when it was peak hour and the road was packed with container trucks........ :bash: ):D

Sounds familiar. :D

But thank goodness most of the time I have to travel via that road, it wasent peak hours. Actually the road is quite smooth most of the time? The viaduct seems to be mainly to get the trucks out of the way!

Sounds familiar. :D

But thank goodness most of the time I have to travel via that road, it wasent peak hours. Actually the road is quite smooth most of the time? The viaduct seems to be mainly to get the trucks out of the way!

Yes, i always notice it was smooth after those trucks use the completed viaduct at telok blangah....thank goodness.......and most of the time, off peak hours are generally smooth......but sometimes can't help it when the lecture ends at 6pm..... :bash: :D

Peak Hour Traffic at Kallang/Lavender
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/ylstan03/Bus%20ride/DSCN20281.jpg

Yes, i always notice it was smooth after those trucks use the completed viaduct at telok blangah....thank goodness.......and most of the time, off peak hours are generally smooth......but sometimes can't help it when the lecture ends at 6pm..... :bash: :D
Interesting.....its almost like a bridge linking the terminals around Keppel with those at Pasir Panjang! And to think that many think its just another initiative to help them get to the city faster..haha.

Interesting.....its almost like a bridge linking the terminals around Keppel with those at Pasir Panjang! And to think that many think its just another initiative to help them get to the city faster..haha.

With the bridge, I'm sure the efficiency and operation of the port will be enhanced......:)

Yeah lah..but in the long long long term, it wont be used by those trucks anymore! :D

Yeah lah..but in the long long long term, it wont be used by those trucks anymore! :D

Maybe in the long long long long term, they'll build one extension from Pasir panjang to tuas.......:D

That is not impossible! :D

In fact, if I am not wrong, it seems like Jurong port will be shifting to that wierd shaped reclaimed land at Tuas Extension, and it might be allowed to grow to be as big as PSA!

JULY 29, 2004
S'pore makes case for open transport sector

A STRONG and open transport sector will boost economic growth and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and countries should take concrete steps to make this liberalisation happen, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said yesterday.

And the aviation sector was one area he cited as proof that an easing up of rules was necessary for success.

This sector is faced with challenges such as increasing fuel prices, the emergence of budget carriers, changes in aircraft technology and the need to enhance safety and security, Mr Yeo said at the Fourth Apec Transportation Ministerial Meeting in Bali.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, by 2010, more than 30 million new jobs will be created in the travel and tourism industries, with total tourism revenue exceeding US$3 trillion (S$5 trillion).

The aviation sector, especially, has to anticipate and facilitate this vast potential for growth, he noted.

'Only with a strong and liberal transport sector can trade, investments and tourism flourish,' he said in his speech on the second day of the three-day meeting.

Singapore, Mr Yeo said, is committed to the process of liberalisation and is also giving priority to ensuring the safety and security of transport.

'This is reflected in all our numerous port facilities and the 1,000 ships on our...shipping registry fully complying with the ISPS code well before July 1,' the minister said.

At a discussion session later yesterday, he again reiterated the benefits of liberalising the air transport sector.

It is estimated that 'for every US$100 spent on air travel, the economy gains US$325; and 100 extra jobs in the air transport sector produce 610 new jobs within the country', he said.

Mr Yeo, describing transport as a key enabler of economic growth, said Asia's economic growth cannot be achieved in isolation.

He acknowledged that Apec member economies are at different levels of economic development and that some may need to liberalise at a slower pace. 'But it is important that all are moving in the same direction, so that we can all share in the growing transport sector pie and benefit from it,' he added.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

S'pore makes case for open transport sector

A STRONG and open transport sector will boost economic growth and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and countries should take concrete steps to make this liberalisation happen, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said yesterday.

And the aviation sector was one area he cited as proof that an easing up of rules was necessary for success.

This sector is faced with challenges such as increasing fuel prices, the emergence of budget carriers, changes in aircraft technology and the need to enhance safety and security, Mr Yeo said at the Fourth Apec Transportation Ministerial Meeting in Bali.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, by 2010, more than 30 million new jobs will be created in the travel and tourism industries, with total tourism revenue exceeding US$3 trillion (S$5 trillion).

The aviation sector, especially, has to anticipate and facilitate this vast potential for growth, he noted.

'Only with a strong and liberal transport sector can trade, investments and tourism flourish,' he said in his speech on the second day of the three-day meeting.

Singapore, Mr Yeo said, is committed to the process of liberalisation and is also giving priority to ensuring the safety and security of transport.

'This is reflected in all our numerous port facilities and the 1,000 ships on our...shipping registry fully complying with the ISPS code well before July 1,' the minister said.

At a discussion session later yesterday, he again reiterated the benefits of liberalising the air transport sector.

It is estimated that 'for every US$100 spent on air travel, the economy gains US$325; and 100 extra jobs in the air transport sector produce 610 new jobs within the country', he said.

Mr Yeo, describing transport as a key enabler of economic growth, said Asia's economic growth cannot be achieved in isolation.

He acknowledged that Apec member economies are at different levels of economic development and that some may need to liberalise at a slower pace. 'But it is important that all are moving in the same direction, so that we can all share in the growing transport sector pie and benefit from it,' he added.

Auto updating of fare stages on 9 bus routes

Starting tomorrow: Satellite system, delayed from 2002, will prevent overcharging

By Goh Chin Lian

AUTOMATIC updating of fare stages will start on nine bus services from tomorrow, in a move to prevent passengers from being overcharged when bus drivers forget to update them manually.

The new feature will be introduced on all buses 'progressively', said the Land Transport Authority in a joint statement with bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT Buses yesterday.

They have spent the past two years testing a satellite- based system that tracks the position of buses and calculates the fare stages.

The number of fare stages travelled determines the bus fare.

The system will be in place initially on SBS Transit's services 40, 228, 265, 268 and 506, and SMRT Buses' 173, 180, 184 and 189.

Ez-link card readers at the exits on the buses will be de-activated when the doors close and the buses move off.

The readers will be activated only when the bus is 100m away from the next bus stop, when the fare stage has been updated.

SBS Transit said that it will have 50 staff members on hand on its bus services for the first two mornings to help passengers get used to the system.

The automatic updating was to have been introduced with the ez-link electronic fare card in April 2002, but the system was not ready then.

All 4,000 bus stops had to be mapped precisely, as well as the routes of about 3,600 SBS and SMRT buses.

It would have been 'ideal' to launch it at the same time as the ez-link system, but the LTA had said the contactless farecard's basic system needed to be 'stabilised' first.

Several technical issues had to be worked out, both with hardware and software and the system was then acting up at 10 'problematic' bus stops, mostly downtown.

Currently, drivers update the system manually at each fare stage, which typically consists of two bus stops.

If this is not done correctly, wrong fares are charged.

About 95 per cent of drivers remember to do so but an automated system means they will not have to.

Bridge-widening at Bukit Timah

A 68-YEAR-OLD bridge for vehicles that spans the Bukit Timah canal will be widened to improve traffic flow in the area.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the 13.5m-long bridge, located at the junction of Chancery Lane, Dunearn Road, Bukit Timah Road and Balmoral Road, will be made wider as it is currently too narrow to handle the amount traffic that uses it.

The bridge, which was built in 1936 and is a two-way road with three lanes, will have a total of six lanes by the end of next year.

The stretch of Chancery Lane, Balmoral Road and Dunearn Road leading to the junction will also be widened.

The project is expected to cost $1.79 million.

Work, which began last month, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of next year. It will include landscaping of the area.

The LTA said that vehicles will be able to continue using the bridge while the work is going on.

'Green' cars quietly exiting the showrooms

High cost and poor sales to blame, say distributors; rebates said to be too low

By Radha Basu

ENVIRONMENT friendly hybrid cars that run on petrol and electricity have made a quiet exit from showrooms.

Borneo Motors stopped selling older versions of the Toyota Prius from last November and has no plans to import the new model, which is selling well in the United States and Japan.

Honda distributor Kah Motor also stopped selling the Insight, one of its two eco-car models, last year. The 'green' version of the Civic is available only on special order and customers must put down a $20,000 deposit first.

Even as the Government reiterated its commitment towards promoting green cars here last week, distributors say high cost and poor sales sounded the death knell for hybrids.

Borneo Motors said it had sold just 16 Prius cars since September 2001. At that time, it cost $128,988 with a certificate of entitlement (COE). But prices fell as the car market weakened. The last Prius sold for $106,000 with COE.

Honda has fared no better. It has sold just two each of its hybrid Insight and Civic models since they were launched.

The Insight then cost $140,000, or the price of a BMW 318i. The Civic Hybrid now costs $102,500. Both prices include the COE.

Emissions of greenhouse gases from petrol and diesel vehicles are a significant source of air pollution worldwide and worsen global warming. The Prius is said to burn fuel 90 per cent cleaner than conventional-fuel cars; and the Civic Hybrid, 50 per cent cleaner.

Although there are tax rebates for buyers of hybrid cars, environmentalists, academics and motorists say more can be done to make these cars more affordable. Fewer than 25 green cars have been sold in the three years since the incentives were introduced.

In the US, nearly 22,000 Prius cars were snapped up in the first half of the year. There, it costs about US$5,500 (S$9,500) more than a conventional Toyota Corolla. But here, the hybrids cost $25,000 to $30,000 more - after the tax rebates.

Buyers get a 20 per cent rebate on the car's open market value, in registration fees and another 10 per cent off the yearly road tax.

It all comes to between $5,000 and $6,000.

'The existing rebates are simply not sufficient,' said the executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, Mr Howard Shaw.

'Given Singapore's high car tax burden, the cars are still well beyond the reach of the average Singaporean.'

He suggests further lowering the additional registration fee for green cars. The fee amounts to 110 per cent of a car's open market value. It and the COE are the key factors inflating car prices here.

Dr Chang Yuong Ho of the National University of Singapore said hybrid cars are the most 'convenient' of the green alternatives available.

Unlike cars that run on compressed natural gas, they don't need special refuelling kiosks. Unlike electric cars, hybrids don't need to be plugged in and recharged.

'Cost is the main thing keeping them off the roads here,' said Dr Chang, who teaches a postgraduate course in environment economics.

Motorists like Mr Wilfred Tay, who have driven the Prius, are impressed with the smooth drive and fuel efficiency. Mr Tay, 42, a marketing professional, rents a Prius from the Income car co-operative whenever his wife needs to use his Suzuki. But it's too expensive to buy, he said.

Asked about further incentives for green car buyers, the National Environment Agency said it would review the existing rebates before they lapse in January 2006.

'As the technology for green vehicles is evolving rapidly, this will allow the Government to be responsive to changes and ensure that the rebates remain relevant.'

His gamble on the Prius is paying off

ALTHOUGH the Toyota Prius is considered a mascot of the green movement, its eco-friendliness was not high on Mr Vincent Ng Eng Hwa's (right) checklist of must-haves when he set out to shop for his first car.

Prius, a petrol-electricity hybrid, is considered to burn fuel 90 per cent cleaner than conventional-fuel cars.

'What I really wanted was fuel efficiency, low maintenance and a smooth engine,' the soft-spoken engineer said.

International motoring websites he visited claimed that the Prius would deliver on all three counts.

Although the car cost almost $30,000 more than the Corolla and was virtually unheard of here, Mr Ng, 39, took a chance and bought it.

Nineteen months on, it looks as if the gamble's paid off. Mr Ng, one of four people who own a Prius here - 12 others were sold to firms - says it gives him more than 20km for every litre of petrol.

So although he drives from Bedok to Jurong for work every day, his monthly petrol bills seldom exceed $80. With a normal car he would have had to pay at least 30 to 40 per cent more, he reckons.

Over time, the engineer in him has also come to appreciate the 'technological marvels' the car demonstrates.

'As cars move, they usually emit a lot of heat,' he said. 'Rather than waste the heat, the Prius converts it into electrical energy, which, in turn, helps run the car.'

Tax breaks for gas-driven cabs: operators not biting

By Christopher Tan

IT HAS been more than four months since the Government dangled deep tax cuts as incentives for taxi operators to switch from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.

To date, no one is biting.

Even Smart Automobile, a new player which said initially that the incentives could save it more than $9 a day per cab, now says it has not found any suitable CNG car to buy.

In March, the Government offered any CNG cab registered before January 2006 a 100 percentage point rebate on its additional registration fee (ARF), some tens of thousands of dollars in upfront savings per cab.

Such a cab will also be exempted from the annual diesel tax of $5,100, and pay 20 per cent less in road tax.

After the date, some of the perks will go. Only the ARF rebate, but a smaller proportion, will be given for cabs registered from Jan 1 to Sept 30, 2006. The rebate will be 80 percentage points.

Observers estimate that the Government would forgo over $150 million in taxes, should the 5,000 or so taxis due for replacement in the two-year period convert.

Still, operators are wary because of uncertainties such as how long the CNG cabs will last and the inconvenience of using the new fuel.

Smart's executive director, Mr Johnny Ang, said: 'We need more certainty from all parties before we commit. Our earlier projections assumed that we can use the cabs for eight years.'

Like other operators, his company is unsure of the durability of the CNG models in the market.

Singapore's biggest transport group ComfortDelGro Corp said its drivers were not enthralled by the fuel during the year-long trial which ended in April.

Said its spokesman Tammy Tan: 'They found the relatively short range of 240km on a full tank to be somewhat of an inconvenience since that means refuelling twice a day at the only CNG station.' Normal diesel taxis can run 500km on a full tank.

The company is still operating two Volvo CNG buses, and The Straits Times understands there are no plans to add more.

Mr William Choo, a senior manager in charge of CNG affairs at Toyota distributor Borneo Motors, disclosed that the vehicle manufacturer had dedicated a production line to cater to an anticipated Singapore market. But it has made way for other products since there had been no orders.

Mr Choo noted that the trial involving eight CNG Toyota Crowns incurred substantial cost and effort. 'Engineers from Toyota in Japan were flying in and out... and that cost money.'

He sees the indifference as a 'chicken and egg problem'. Operators would not buy CNG vehicles because there is only one refuelling site, on Jurong Island. Gas suppliers would not build more stations unless there were significantly more gas-driven cars here.

Meanwhile, operators of diesel vehicles are preparing to comply with a more stringent emission standard, known as Euro 4, that will take effect in October 2006.

ComfortDelGro's Ms Tan said: 'Most bus manufacturers have indicated that they can supply Euro 4 diesel buses by then. We acknowledge the government incentives, but there are still infrastructural and operational issues that remain unresolved.'

Skoda targets taxi market with Euro-4 standard vehicle

SKODA, a Czech brand once associated with the backwardness of the communist bloc, will be the first here to offer a ready supply of a new generation of 'green', powerful cars.

The Volkswagen-owned brand, imported by auto entrepreneur Peter Kwee's Czech Auto, has a 2.5-litre Superb model with a turbocharged diesel V6 engine.

It meets a future emission standard known as Euro 4 and is cleaner than some electric hybrid and natural gas vehicles now available. The standard becomes mandatory here in October 2006, but taxis and commercial vehicles that meet it before then qualify for tax rebates.

The Straits Times understands that Czech Auto is trying to market the car to fleet operators here, and that the first shipment can arrive as soon as within three weeks.

Owners of Euro 4 cars registered for use as taxis before the end of next year qualify for a green incentive scheme, giving them 100 percentage-point rebates on the additional registration fee (ARF) - worth tens of thousands in savings per vehicle.

Not only is it environmentally sound, but the Superb 2.5 TDi is also almost twice as powerful as an ordinary Toyota Crown cab. The sedan, with twin exhaust pipes and a sophisticated electronic stability control normally found only in luxury cars, has an open market value - roughly, cost price - of about $37,000.

Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro Corp, said: 'Skoda has made us an offer which we are looking at closely, given that it is the only manufacturer at this time willing to bring in the Euro 4 diesel engines to Singapore.'

Also, DaimlerChrysler is preparing to bring in a prototype of a Mercedes-Benz E-class that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) and petrol. This bi-fuel Merc will be on loan to a taxi firm for trial.

Currently, Singapore has only two CNG taxis running: a Nissan and a Volvo Bi-Fuel.

Meanwhile, Ms Tan said ComfortDelGro is examining 'various options' to meet the Euro 4 standard, 'including new technologies like gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuels'.

Oil major Shell and Japanese carmaker Toyota are testing a fleet of Toyotas in the United Kingdom using a liquid fuel made from natural gas. Fitted with a new exhaust system, the cars are said to surpass Euro 4 standards.

GTL is seen as an economically viable option because it does not require new infrastructure or new vehicle types.

'Cost and long-term sustainability are among some of our key considerations,' noted Ms Tan.

Elsewhere, SMRT Corp has ordered over 100 Euro 4 Mercedes-Benz taxis, which will be ready around the middle of next year. They will still be eligible for the generous ARF rebate, making them almost as competitively priced as today's Japanese cabs. -- Christopher Tan

oh look i googled the skoda superb and it looks like a nice enough car to be a cab :)

http://www.indiacar.com/roadtest/skodasuperb_firstdrive_a/images/skoda_superb.jpg

kinda like an audi from the front?

enough legroom too
http://www.indiacar.com/roadtest/skodasuperb_firstdrive_a/images/skoda_superb_interiors.jpg

this will certainly break the monotony of having all toyota / nissan cabs...

Face off: Double- decker versus Bendy

Bendys are more accessible but double-deckers take up less road space, say operators

By Christopher Tan

ARE articulated buses better than double-deckers?

That perennial question, which has never been answered satisfactorily since Tibs brought in the first 'Bendy' bus in 1996, became topical again when London celebrated a special anniversary on the weekend of July 25.

That was the day the city marked the 50th year of its quintessential Routemaster double-deckers, which in the last five decades have become as recognisable as the British bobby and Big Ben.

The celebrations also marked the beginning of the end of the iconic red bus.

London mayor Ken Livingstone announced earlier this year that most of the 500 that remain will be phased out by late next year.

They will be replaced by newer models of double-deckers as well as Bendy buses. Major bus supplier Mercedes-Benz believes there will be more of the latter.

The development, still hotly debated by the icon's fans and commuters, is seen in some quarters as a gradual shift away from double-deckers. Besides Britain, the rest of Europe favours the Bendy.

But Singapore's largest transport group, Comfort- DelGro Corp, which has 840 double-deckers and two Bendys in its fleet of 2,500 buses, remains unconvinced.

Company spokesman Tammy Tan said: 'London is not doing away with all types of double-deckers, only the Routemaster. In fact, London has added more double-decker buses on the road in the last few years as these are found to be more suitable given the number of passengers they can carry for the amount of road space they take up.'

Currently, about two-thirds of buses in London have two decks, and 'they will be around for a long time more', she predicted.

Smaller rival Tibs, which has since been taken over by SMRT Corp and renamed SMRT Buses, has a different take on the situation.

An SMRT Corp spokesman said: 'We're generally satisfied with the Bendy bus in terms of performance, reliability and passenger-friendliness. Being single-deck, it's more passenger-friendly, especially during periods when demand is heavy.'

The company has 313 Bendys. These make up nearly 40 per cent of its fleet, up from 24 per cent five years ago.

The Bendy has three doors, making it faster and easier for passengers to board and alight. For the same reason, it occupies significantly less time at a bus stop, thus offsetting its longer dimensions.

It can also carry a few more passengers than a double-decker and, according to SMRT, costs less to run than a normal 12m single-decker bus on a per passenger basis.

And the articulated vehicle - which has a swivel centre - requires no special treatment.

'We didn't have to make any infrastructural changes to our depots to accommodate the Bendys,' the SMRT spokesman said. 'Although they're about 1.5 times longer, they have the same turning radius as a 12m bus.'

However, ComfortDelGro's Ms Tan maintains the vehicle is 'less efficient in terms of road space usage'. And despite its remarkable turning radius, she reckons it is less manoeuvrable.

'Reversing one in tight spots at interchanges, for instance, can pose a safety risk to passengers and other buses,' she said.

ComfortDelGro's double-deckers cost less than SMRT's articulated buses because the latter are factory-made and imported fully assembled. ComfortDelGro, which has had double-deckers since 1977, imports its buses' chassis and assembles their body separately.

While proponents point to the Bendy's popularity in Europe, Ms Tan claims Europe prefers them because 'many cities have low-hanging power lines in the streets'. 'However, we don't have such limitations in Singapore.'

Still, the company recognises that double-deckers are less accessible, and 'we're prepared to convert more seats in our buses to 'green seats' to cater for the handicapped and aged if necessary'.

Commuters appear divided on the two bus types as well.

Mr Billy Yeo, 20, who is serving his national service, said he finds a seat on the upper deck of a double-decker during peak hours more comfortable 'because passengers are not allowed to stand'.

Sales executive Beverly Wong, in her 30s, said: 'I enjoy the height of double-deckers. Bendys give a bumpy ride.'

But private school teacher B.L. Tan, 43, noted that the Bendy is 'more convenient' for commuters to get on and off.

The Land Transport Authority pointed out that all buses - whether single-deck, double-deck or articulated - are each accorded the same road space as two cars.

a variety would be best for consumers like me so i'm a little less bored.

For the record, I hate bendy buses! :D

why? i think the pininfarina designed ones look quite pretty!

both bendies and doubles look good (the new ones specifically only!)

but i prefer bendies, more modern looking and more user friendly.....

...........I dont have a preference on buses just because they look better. Sitting at the back of bendy buses gives me a headache sometimes, and hence I detest them.

Double deakers give me unrivalled views! :D

I like double deck becos of the view also......my fave seat is the front seat on the second floor.......:yes:

oh i like double decks for view too, but i like sitting at the back of bendy buses too! i'm so flexible i will survive i am the fittest.

but i concede i have the same thoughts too that double deckers are more space efficient.

I like double deck becos of the view also......my fave seat is the front seat on the second floor.......:yes:
Sama sama! Nothing beats taking a double deaker Bus number 30 and fly over the Benjamin Sheares bridge!

AUG 29, 2004
JB highway toll for S'pore cars mooted
JOHOR BARU

A CONSORTIUM has proposed imposing a levy on Singapore-registered cars entering Malaysia to fund the construction of a new highway in the town centre.

But the Malaysian government has yet to respond to the proposal.

The construction of the proposed 8.5km Eastern Dispersal Link will cost RM650 million (S$293 million), Oriental Daily News said.

Upon its completion in 2008, Singapore cars will be charged a proposed RM8 each for a single trip, while Malaysian cars will be exempted from the levy. An average of 5,000 Singapore cars enter Malaysia daily via the Causeway. On weekends or public holidays, their number doubles or triples.

The consortium submitted a proposal on the highway to the Prime Minister's Department recently and mooted the idea of imposing a levy on foreign cars to fund the project.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

SEPT 1, 2004
New class of licence for drivers of auto cars

THOSE who do not want to tangle with manual-transmission cars and want to learn to drive only automatic ones will be able to do so from Jan 1 next year.

They will take the test and be issued with a new Class 3A driving licence.

Qualified drivers of motorcars now hold the Class 3 licence. They have all been required to learn to drive and pass the test using manual-transmission or stick-shift cars. They are allowed to drive both types of cars.

Holders of the Class 3A licence will not be allowed to drive stick shift cars unless they sit for and pass the test for the Class 3 licence.

A police spokesman acknowledged that the test for the Class 3A licence might be easier to pass, but stressed that there would be no let-up in test standards.

Holders of 3A licences will be severely punished if caught driving manual-transmission vehicles, he added.

The change comes as a result of feedback from the public that they see no need to learn how to drive manual or stick-shift cars when several motorcar makes produce auto-transmission models.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

SEPT 7, 2004
LTA adds extra level of checks for KPE project
By Christopher Tan

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) is adding another level of independent checks for construction works in the massive Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) project.

It has called a tender to hire an accredited checker, a qualified senior civil engineer, to focus on the design and construction of temporary structures, such as retaining walls and dams, which are put up during construction - in this case, tunnelling work. The structures may or may not become part of the completed expressway.

Accredited checkers - which became mandatory after the Hotel New World collapse in 1986 - are usually senior civil engineers with at least 10 years of relevant work experience.

While such independent checks had been introduced for permanent structures, this is the first time the LTA is calling a separate tender for inspecting temporary works, a task that was earlier left to the developer to carry out.

The Straits Times understands that while the extra checks are discretionary now, they may soon become mandatory in the light of the Nicoll Highway incident.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

The New Paper - 14 Sep 2004

Big Brother on the road?

No, say bosses, high-tech gadget means they can keep an eye on drivers

By Arul John
tnp@sph.com.sg

A PRODUCTIVITY tool or a gadget to help Big Brother watch over you?

Big Brother is the name of the all-knowing mysterious leader of the police state Oceania in George Orwell's novel, 1984.

The makers of the UK-developed Vehicle Management Information System (VMIS), which uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to monitor vehicles on the move, said it's not a Big Brother system.

The system can tell if a driver has lied about working when he could have been sipping coffee at a coffeeshop.

Mr David Roberts, national sales manager of Minorplanet South East Asia, which markets the system here, said a computer organises the data into different reports that show how the vehicles performed.

It's not Internet-based and the data can only be accessed within each firm, he said.

The cost of renting the system is about $150 a month per vehicle.

What do the firms which use the system think?

Mr Hay Hung Hui, general manager of underground cable-laying contractor Yuan Ji Enterprises, said: 'Our staff are disciplined and honest, but the VMIS helped us verify their claims for better vehicle management.'

Mr Poh Peng Hoe, managing director of PH Containers Express (Singapore), said his drivers have become more diligent since the VMIS was installed in the lorries and prime movers about three months ago.

He said: 'Last month, one of our drivers telephoned us that he was on medical leave for two days, but the VMIS showed his vehicle was used during that period.'

He declined to reveal the fate of the driver. But he said two drivers had been sacked after the VMIS found they had taken long breaks on duty and arrived late at their destinations.

Fewer customers were complaining about late drivers, he added.

HOW IT WORKS

Vehicle Management Information System (VMI) uses a data collection unit that continually monitors and records vehicle position, speed and distance travelled anywhere in the world using GPS (Global Positioning System).

Data can then be retrieved through a radio frequency link or GSM cellular network.

Command & Control Centre

The data is downloaded into a computer back at the client firm through a radio link or a handphone Global System for Messaging (GSM) network. The VMIS software can organise the data into different reports that show how the vehicles have performed.

Mr David Roberts of Minorplanet South East Asia shows how the VMIS can show a digital map of the movement of the van at each stage.

The map can even show the roads it travels along and landmarks it passes.

Take, for example, a delivery van on a fictional route:

1. The van leaves the firm and the VMIS records his start time and speed

2. As the van moves, the distance it travels, the speed, and even the road it is moving on are recorded

3. If the driver thinks he can sleep on the job without anybody knowing, he is wrong. The VMIS can let you know if the van engine is idling and for how long

4. If the van is supposed to follow a pre-programmed route, and suddenly changes direction, the time and route of the deviation is recorded

5. When the vehicle arrives within the ring fence, the VMIS can be programmed to send an SMS to the customer telling him the vehicle has arrived

Ring fence - The VMIS software can create areas round specific locations on a digital map, usually work destinations. This can inform a customer or supplier that a vehicle has entered or left the area.

6. When the van returns to Company X, its entry time is recorded, signifying the end of the trip

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

SEPT 15, 2004
Man on MRT tracks at Bishan hit by train, dies

A MAN fell onto the MRT tracks at Bishan station on Wednesday afternoon and died after being hit by an oncoming train.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

This has been the fourth death on the MRT tracks since late July.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

SEPT 17, 2004
Tg Pagar railway station to get makeover

REFLECTING a warming of ties between the two neighbours, Malaysia's train service to Singapore is back on track with plans to give the historical Tanjong Pagar railway station a makeover.

Tourism Malaysia had agreed in principle to allocate S$50,000 to give a new lease of life to the station, said KTM Berhad Intercity general manager Azman Ahmad Shaharbi.

The aim was for the station to offer a hive of activities wooing Singaporeans and other foreigners to Malaysia.

Also on track are plans to strengthen the 20km railway line from Bukit Timah to Tanjong Pagar, with maintenance costs estimated at RM3 million (S$1.3 million), Mr Azman said after the launch yesterday of a new rail quiz called Match Your Train and Station at Tanjung Pagar.

Rehabilitation of the Bukit Timah-Tanjong Pagar rail track had not been undertaken over the past 30 years, he said.

Built in 1932, the station is one of the most attractive in KTM's train network.

The future of the station, a carryover from British colonial rule over what used to be known as Malaya, is one of the sensitive issues that have strained relations between the two countries since they separated about 40 years ago.

To get the makeover on schedule, KTM was also working with the Malaysian High Commission here to seek a waiver of the Goods and Services Tax imposed by the Singapore Government to bring in materials needed to strengthen the rail track. New rails alone would cost RM3 million.

Mr Azman also said plans were under way to introduce shuttle services twice a day from Kempas Baru, a sister station of KTM's station in Johor Baru, to Singapore.

He noted that congestion in Johor Baru was due to construction work undertaken by Gerbang Perdana.

Originally planned for June, Mr Azman said KTM expected this service to be operational in October, pending approval from the Singapore authorities.

KTM, he said, was targeting Malaysians working here, especially the estimated 100,000 motorcyclists who commute across the Causeway daily.

On its Johor-Singapore and Singapore-Johor traffic, he said he expected 600,000 passengers to use its service this year, a 15 per cent increase over last year. In 2002, 681,668 passengers took the train from Johor Bahru to Singapore.

Mr Azman said that, including Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah, KTM had 202ha of land in Singapore. -- Bernama

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 21 Sep 2004

SMRT, LTA rule out barriers at MRT stations

Barriers cannot effectively prevent trespassing

By TAILA KRISHNAKUMAR

SMRT Corporation and the Land Transport Authority have ruled out installing railings and half-height barriers as a safety measure at open-station MRT and LRT platforms.

'Physical barriers, such as metal railings and half-height barriers cannot effectively prevent trespassing onto the tracks as commuters can still enter the tracks by going through the openings or climbing over the barriers. Such barriers may also pose a safety hazard if commuters get trapped between the barriers and the train doors,' they said in a joint statement. 'A balance needs to be struck between excessive installation of safety features and how such measures would exact a cost on the provision of public transport services,' the statement added.

But both the rail operator and the LTA assured the public that they take a serious view of the safety of commuters. SMRT has enhanced the safety measures at stations with open platforms. Their reiteration of their commitment to safety came as a spate of incidents at MRT station platforms raised concerns over commuters' safety.

'Eight-seven per cent of the cases where commuters were found trespassing on the tracks at aboveground MRT and LRT stations in the last 13 years were non-accidental acts. For the safety of commuters, the operators will step up enforcement against those who violate the instruction not to step beyond the yellow line until the train has stopped at the station,' said LTA and SMRT.

Despite various safety measures in place, there have been more than 220 cases where commuters have jumped onto train tracks since 1991. The cases of non-accidental trespass included commuters jumping onto the tracks to retrieve personal items, commuters taking short cuts and acts of suicide.

Commuters who ignore instructions not to cross the yellow line until the train has stopped can be fined up to $500. Those caught trespassing on the tracks can be fined up to $5,000.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 21 Sep 2004

Hock Lock Siew
With media deal done, is transport next?

By WONG WEI KONG

SO WILL the public transport sector see a consolidation similar to that in the media industry? The stock market seems to think so. Shares of transportation group ComfortDelgro Corp rose yesterday, for instance, on speculation that such a consolidation may be looming.

After all, there are similarities between the two industries. The perceived need for competition had led the government to open up both sectors. Then came the realisation that the market here may not be able to support such competition, with the government then indicating that it would not block the players from calling it quits if they so wished.

Now that Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp - after losing millions of dollars - have reached a compromise on TV and free-newspaper competition, it looks like it may be the turn next for ComfortDelgro (and its listed subsidiary SBS Transit) and rival SMRT Corp. Indeed, it can be argued that competition makes less sense in public transport than in media, even when putting the financial numbers aside.

Both ComfortDelgro and SMRT operate rail, bus and taxi services. With the exception perhaps of taxis, there is actually no real competition between the bus and rail operations run by ComfortDelgro and SMRT.

For one thing, both companies have limited pricing power, since bus and rail fare revisions require the approval of the Public Transport Council. For another, route rationalisation means little overlap in services, leaving commuters usually with no choice but to take whatever is available. So competing for customers - or ridership in this case - does not take place.

If the public transport sector is to be truly rationalised, there is really only one logical conclusion: one rail operator and one bus operator, and eventually perhaps just one super land transport company.

ComfortDelgro, which grew out of the merger between taxi operator Comfort and bus operator Delgro, is the dominant bus and taxi player in the market. However, its unit SBS Transit also operates a rail service, the North East Line (NEL), which has been incurring losses from lower-than-expected ridership since it began operations in June 2003. The government built the NEL at a cost of almost $5 billion and SBS Transit is said to have spent an estimated $100 million in operating costs. The good news is that losses from NEL have been narrowing; in the second quarter, losses fell to $5.4 million from $7.2 million a year ago.

But NEL isn't the end of ComfortDelgro's rail challenge. The government will hand over the Punggol Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system to SBS Transit to run by the end of this year. Will there be enough ridership? Given recent reports suggesting that fewer people than expected are moving to live in Punggol, a new town, there is the possibility that Punggol could mean more losses for the ComfortDelgro group.

On the other hand, SMRT, the dominant rail operator, will be better placed to run new rail lines like NEL and Punggol given its economies of scale. Consolidation should see SMRT take over ComfortDelgro's rail lines, becoming the sole rail operator, while ComfortDelgro takes over SMRT's buses and becomes the sole public bus service provider.

Once that happens, a merger between the two to create a super land transport group is a distinct possibility, a move that would boost their regional potential - ComfortDelgro has already built up significant overseas operations while SMRT is keenly exploring opportunities abroad.

The devil, of course, will be in the details. The SPH-MediaCorp deal involved just one listed company, but any such consolidation in the public transport sector would involve three listed companies: ComfortDelgro, SBS Transit and SMRT. But the ComfortDelgro group counts the Singapore Labour Foundation as its biggest shareholder while for SMRT, it is Temasek Holdings. With the two dominant shareholders both linked to the government, a deal may come sooner than expected, especially if it makes commercial sense.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

The New Paper - 21 Sep 2004

Switch to luxury travel... by bus

By Celine Lim
cellsf@sph.com.sg

EVEN as airlines are going budget, bus companies are switching to luxury.

From leather seats to on-demand movies from the touch-screen LCD monitor of your personal entertainment system and even a hostess to serve you meals.

Express bus company Transtar Travel will start the new service from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (KL) next month. Each year, thousands head north, to places like Kuala Lumpur, in coaches. Little surprise then that bus companies are sprucing up their coaches.

For a first-class seat on Transtar's coaches, a one-way ticket from Singapore to KL will cost $56 while the rate from KL to Singapore is RM88($39).

Mr Tony Chiang, 60, a retiree who does freelance marketing consulting, travels to KL from Singapore two or three times a month 'for leisure'.

He usually makes the trip on Super VIP coaches because it is 'more convenient than taking a plane and takes almost the same amount of time'.

'I have to travel to the airport, check in my bag, go through immigration and take a taxi from the KL airport to the town area.'

All in all, it usually takes more than four hours. A coach would take about half an hour more.

Passengers board the new first-class coaches at Transtar Travel outlets at Lavender MRT, Boon Lay and Golden Mile Complex and their final stop is at the new Imbi Bus Terminal at Pasar Rakyat, which is about a 10-minute taxi ride from KL's Times Square.

Transtar Travel estimates that 20,000 people travelled by express coach from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur last year.

Lawyer Lawrence Tan, 57, usually drives between KL and Singapore at least twice a month for work.

When he started commuting in 1992, he did not want to take a bus as it was 'pretty boring'.

But these days, he often takes the double-decker express coaches run by Nice bus company.

'I would go for the new first-class express coach if I really want to relax. I won't mind paying a little more since I arrive refreshed.'

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 21 Sep 2004

Hock Lock Siew
With media deal done, is transport next?

By WONG WEI KONG

SO WILL the public transport sector see a consolidation similar to that in the media industry? The stock market seems to think so. Shares of transportation group ComfortDelgro Corp rose yesterday, for instance, on speculation that such a consolidation may be looming.
I think this is practically the hot topic for discussion of late. What do you guys think about it? Should SMRT just do the rail network, while Delgro goes back to buses only?

Rivalry 'won't work for MRT'

By Christopher Tan

THE chairman of ComfortDelGro, Mr Lim Jit Poh, wants one operator for trains and another for buses because 'it's plain to see that competition for certain industries doesn't work in a small economy such as ours'.

He expressed his reservations on competition when asked to comment on the possibility of SMRT Corp taking over the money-losing North-East MRT Line (NEL) now run by ComfortDelGro's subsidiary, SBS Transit.

It is a view that mirrors events in the media industry last week when rivals Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp consolidated their positions by merging their mass-market television and free-newspaper operations.

Mr Lim told The Straits Times: 'It is in my opinion better to centralise the rail and bus operations; that is, have one operator for each.'

While insisting that such a plan was not under way, he indicated that one possibility would be for SBS to sell the NEL to SMRT and buy its bus business, which SMRT acquired for $194 million in 2001.

'Let the different modes compete with each other and let commuters decide which to choose from,' Mr Lim said, noting that taxis, the third mode, 'are already deregulated, with three more new players on the scene'.

'At the end of the day, this will be best for all,' he said.

The potential of a deal between the transport operators was first floated by Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong last year, when he said the Government would not object to a merger of rail operations.

He reiterated it soon after, saying SMRT will automatically operate all future lines if it took over the NEL.

With the media merger, talk of a rail deal resurfaced. Yesterday, the speculation drove ComfortDelGro's share price five cents higher to a record $1.36.

It surpassed most analysts' price targets for the year as a hefty 15.34 million shares changed hands, putting it fifth on the list of most active stocks.

SMRT's shares moved half a cent higher to 70 cents on a trading volume of 2.64 million shares.

Said one analyst: 'The benefit of a deal is seen to be more immediate for ComfortDelGro. It will stem its losses on the North-East Line, which is about $20 million a year. The benefit for SMRT, however, is a bit more longer term in nature.'

Observers see the two transport operators facing similar challenges as the media companies.

One has a money-losing rail business, while the other has a small and not-so-profitable bus operation.

But unlike SPH and MediaCorp, which had been talking for about two years, the transport companies, sources said, had met only once on the issue.

'So far, there is nothing,' said SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa yesterday, maintaining that it did not make sense to pay for a money-losing company.

But she is not saying never, adding that 'it all depends on the deal'.

However, Ms Adele Yeo, an analyst at investment bank JP Morgan, said investors should not hold their breath for a deal.

'We do not see such plans in the near term,' she said.

A ComfortDelGro insider said yesterday: 'If we have to pay SMRT to take over the line, we might as well run it ourselves.'

The Straits Times understands that consultants engaged to assess the NEL had concluded that it would be profitable in the long run.

Analysts concur.

Kim Eng Securities transport analyst Lisa Lee said the 20km line would lose about $18 million this year and will 'break even in 2007 or 2008'.

Put competition back into public transport

I READ with interest about Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp merging their TV and free-sheet operations, in which it was stated that the two media giants have been competing in each other's traditional domains since limited competition was granted in the media sector in 2000, and that both companies have been incurring 'continuing losses' in their respective ventures.

I am glad that the authorities finally realised that Singapore is too small a market to support competition in the media sector. Similarly, the authorities should rethink its competition strategy for the public-transport sector. SBS Transit was given the right to operate the North East Line (NEL) to provide competition to train operator SMRT. Similarly, SMRT was given the green light to merge with Tibs so that it could provide bus services.

The whole idea of competition was to give commuters more choices in the procurement of transport services. Therefore, in order to compete for commuters, the operators would have to improve their services, be it in faster and more comfortable travel or in more competitive pricing.

However, in this case, the 'competition' created did not result in more choices as the two companies essentially service very different routes; there was no real competition.

To make matters worse, to reduce overheads and duplication within the companies, there was mass rationalisation of bus routes so that buses would not travel the same routes as the MRT. This resulted in fewer choices for commuters going from one place to another, not to mention their having to pay more due to the high construction and maintenance costs of NEL. The whole purpose of competition was defeated.

Real competition and the resulting benefits can be achieved only if two companies or more are allowed to compete on the same routes. Of course, I am not suggesting building another NEL or having two buses from the different companies travelling the same route.

However, competition can still be achieved by different operators offering different modes of travel. For example, commuters willing to pay slightly more can take the MRT for a faster ride, while those who wish to travel more economically can do so on the buses.

Alternatively, if the authorities finally decide that Singapore is too small for real competition, we could perhaps consider merging the transport operators to achieve economy of scale and improve efficiency.

Hopefully, commuters would then be able to benefit from better services and prices, which are what they want ultimately.

SEAH KOK TIONG

Buses, trains should complement one another, not compete

I REFER to the report that the chairman of ComfortDelGro, Mr Lim Jit Poh, suggested having separate operators for rail and bus services ('Rivalry 'won't work for MRT'; ST, Sept 21). He was reported as saying, 'Let the different modes compete with each other and let commuters decide which to choose.'

I don't agree. Buses and trains should not compete, but should instead complement one another to create a seamless and fully integrated transportation system.

If the two transport modes are allowed to compete, it would lead to a divergence of interests, with each operator trying to pull commuters away from the other. The result will be a messy system of duplicated or redundant services and non-alignment of bus and rail routes. Eventually, it will lead to higher costs for commuters on both modes.

Please, let us not compete for the sake of competing, but look at the broader objectives of the transportation system and, more importantly, the cost and benefit to the eventual stakeholders: ordinary Singaporeans.

I urge the authorities to seriously rethink any proposal for such inter-modal competition if we are serious about wanting to maintain Singapore's world-class transportation system.

EDWIN YEO TEE YEOK

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 01 October 2004 1535 hrs

SBS Transit introduces new vehicle location system in more routes
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The Vehicle Location System (VLS) will be introduced on another 10 SBS Transit service routes starting Monday.

They are service numbers 225, 229, 262, 269, 273, 292, 317, 333, 334 and 335.

SBS Transit says this addition follows the successful launch of the system over the last three months on 15 service routes.

The VLS allows for the automated updating of fare stages through a satellite-based bus tracking system.

Once the bus position is determined automatically, bus drivers no longer need to update the fare stages manually, and this will eradicate human error in the updating of fare stages and hence, ensure accurate fare deduction.

To inform commuters about the VLS, posters and decals will be displayed at Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Merah, Jurong East, Serangoon and Tampines Bus Interchanges where the ten services are operating from. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

If they are finally so interested in tracking the buses, then why dont they revive that old plan to actually give REAL TIME arrival times for each bus service at bus stops?

If they are finally so interested in tracking the buses, then why dont they revive that old plan to actually give REAL TIME arrival times for each bus service at bus stops?

Yup....I'm waiting for that.....so "sick" of waiting for buses....... :bash:

Yup....I'm waiting for that.....so "sick" of waiting for buses....... :bash:
Unfortunately, they dont seem to have the brains to use it for that purpose, prefering to push the thing through only because they want to reduce pricing descrepencies?

Do they need a reminder that private companies arent always going to consider the interests of consumers who are almost 100% reliant on their services? :rant:

Does anyone know when the govt. is going to roll out an island-wide ERP system?

Does this mean we will enjoy reduced ARF rates and road tax as well?

Would all these mean even cheaper COEs for us? :)

Does anyone know when the govt. is going to roll out an island-wide ERP system?

Does this mean we will enjoy reduced ARF rates and road tax as well?

Would all these mean even cheaper COEs for us? :)
Wah...where did you hear of these plans from? I do know that the government is thinking of shifting the taxation system based on a "per usage" rather then "capital acquisition" basis, but I didnt know they are going to actually impliment that? ;)

Btw, welcome to the forums, and do check out the Singapore forums in the Asia section! :wave: ;)

I heard that the LTA is thinking of the possibility of tearing down the ERP gantries in the future and using GPS technology instead to charge drivers entering certain areas at certain times... Thats what I heard... Dont know the details though I do know that no concrete plans have been made public yet...

I heard that the LTA is thinking of the possibility of tearing down the ERP gantries in the future and using GPS technology instead to charge drivers entering certain areas at certain times... Thats what I heard... Dont know the details though I do know that no concrete plans have been made public yet...
GPS again? I would have problems with that. Wont that give them lots of leeway in tracking any single car there want? Where is our privacy then (from what is left of it that is..haha)?

Thats why no concrete plans to implement that system is out yet...cause they have to deal with so many other issues...

Well they jolly well should. I dont want them to track me when I drive to a seculded corner to do some private stuff! :D

Check this out which I sourced from One Motoring website:

"When will Weekend Cars be automatically converted to normal cars?"

"The Government has previously announced that the automatic conversion of Weekend Cars (WECs) to normal cars (NCs) would be effected when the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme is implemented island-wide. This is expected to take place beyond year 2000.

Phase 1 of the ERP, which was completed in Sep 98, involved the automation of the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS)/ Road Pricing Scheme (RPS). ERP Phase 2, which started in Sep 99, involved only another cordon outside the Central Business District (CBD). The current coverage of our ERP system thus cannot be considered island-wide.

Beyond Phase 2, ERP will continue to be extended to other parts of Singapore where and when traffic congestion levels become unacceptable. The pace of this expansion will depend largely on the travel pattern of motorists and the traffic situations after ERP Phase 2. It is therefore not possible to determine at this point in time the exact implementation schedule of island-wide ERP.

Owners of WECs will be given ample notice of the date when their WECs can be automatically converted to NCs."

Phase 3 ERP roll-out will happen but nobody knows when. A usage based taxation system would gradually reduce the price of car while still ensure the roads are free flowing. Probably the current COE freefall could serve as the crossover platform to cheaper cars, reducing the pain of car owners.

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 18 October 2004 1813 hrs

Commuters can soon find out bus arrival times via SMS
By Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Have you ever been stuck at a bus-stop, wondering when your bus would arrive?

Well, for those who are waiting for Express Service 518, you can now find out just how much longer the wait will be.

SBS Transit has just rolled out an SMS service, which tells you when Express Bus Service 518 will arrive.

All you need to do is send an SMS to *655.

The service will then ask which bus you are waiting for and the bus- stop code, which can be found on bus-stop poles.

Most bus commuters are applauding this move.

"I think it's fantastic because you won't have to guess what time the bus is coming. You can do some shopping while waiting for the bus."

"I think it's a very good idea because it will help us know what time to reach the bus stop."

The estimated arrival time is derived using a location-based technology, but it doesn't take into account traffic jams.

The service is free over the next four weeks, after which it'll cost 10 cents till March next year, and 30 cents per request after that.

"I think 30 cents is ok. But if they bring the cost lower, that'd be much better," said a member of the public.

"SBS Transit does not benefit from this cost. It all goes to SingTel which I believe will help them defray their development cost," said Mr Elwyn Tan, deputy director for marketing at SBS Transit.

After the pilot run, the service will be extended to other express bus services and later to long frequency bus routes which have longer waiting times.

But the service is only for SBS Transit buses, and for now only available to SingTel mobile users.

"We're looking at tying in with other telcos as well. We'll do a review of the trial one month later, and possibly extend to other express services," said Mr Elwyn Tan. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

SBS Transit & the Land Transport Authority are smart! Rather than investing millions on displays at major bus stops to show the times at which the next bus will arrive, they make use of mobile phone technology instead, saving them huge infrastructure costs! And rather than not earning a profit from the setting up on those displays, they might in fact even earn a tidy profit from the smses being sent out to the telco company. Another ingenious idea from Singapore?!

Despite the costs of sending out the smses, at least we finally get what we commuters have always wanted?!

ripoff!!! i demand that this service be FREE! its ridiculous to have to pay to know when your bus is coming.

Well for the next 4 weeks its FREE! So you can sms AS MUCH AS YOU WANT...though only on ONE BUS SERVICE...

After that till March next year its 10 cents per request and beyond March its 30 cents...

I guess some people would still want the service... Its a either you pay to get the service or you don't pay and you get NOTHING situation!

i thought it would be a little like paying everytime you look at the lcd screens at mrt platforms :/

i wont be in singapore for the next four weeks anyway :(

Erm...excuse me....I hope you guys noticed the catch.

All the service does is to tell you the SCHEDULED arrival time, and not the ACTUAL arriving time.

REALLY!!!!!!!!! Didn't realise that... I would rather they tell me like ''SBS Transit Bus Service Number 222 Is 0.5 Kilometres Away. Thank You For Using RipUsOffEveryday Message Service - Another Quality Service Brought To You By SBS Transit & SingTel''.

good! i hope there'll be a way we can record how late or early it actually is and file complaints! either they increase the frequencies or be more punctual.

:rofl:!

You think they managed to employ GPS systems that fast?

If you want to be smart, use the free trail period to go right ahead and keep smsing them the whole day to collate all the bus arrival times. You wont have to sms them ever again after the trail period! :lol:

If the service comes as a price, chances are not many ppl will use it....... :bash:

Why don't they just come up with the GPS thingy??.......:no:

wah... that's not very user friendly is it? defeats the purpose of the service. might as well sit at the bus stop all day.

wah... that's not very user friendly is it? defeats the purpose of the service. might as well sit at the bus stop all day.

I will rather sit at the busstop and wait......it's free........:D

i dunno... i iimagine if i receive an sms of the scheduled arrival time, and the bus comes like 5 minutes late, i might get so angry i smash the windscreen with my phone.. haha. i'm prone to imaginary violent outbursts.

wah... that's not very user friendly is it? defeats the purpose of the service. might as well sit at the bus stop all day.
What is not user friendly? GPS??

sitting at tthe busstop is not very user friendly.

sitting at tthe busstop is not very user friendly.
You are a crazy mofo.

If the capitalists hear you saying this, they will be concluding that you need some interesting advertising to keep you entertained!

You are a crazy mofo.

If the capitalists hear you saying this, they will be concluding that you need some interesting advertising to keep you entertained!

No wonder there are advertisement at the busstop......:lol:

No wonder there are advertisement at the busstop......:lol:
Yeah lah.....so if the likes of heir dosent shutup.....:rant: :D

Get bus arrival times - via SMS

THOSE taking the SBS Transit express that runs between Pasir Ris and the city - service 518 - can find out the exact time the bus will arrive under a new pilot scheme.

Commuters dial *655 and key in the bus number and bus stop code to get the answer, which will be sent by SMS.

The service is free until Nov 19, after which it will cost 10 cents until the end of February. From then, commuters will be charged 30 cents for each answer.

SBS' deputy director for marketing, Mr Elwyn Tan, said the service, which started yesterday, will be tried out for six months and could be introduced for other services.

The alert is now available only to SingTel subscribers, but SBS said it is in talks with telcos StarHub and M1 about extending it to their subscribers as well.

SBS yesterday also launched new features for its bus travel guide on its website at www.sbstransit.com.sg

The guide now provides the location of restaurants, hospitals and shopping malls up to a 5km radius from a bus stop, as well as where these stops are.

i'm talking about this not being user friendly!

If you want to be smart, use the free trail period to go right ahead and keep smsing them the whole day to collate all the bus arrival times.

i dont mind more ads though. the more the better.

i'm talking about this not being user friendly!

i dont mind more ads though. the more the better.

What kind of advertisement would you like to see but have not appear so far??

huh? i dunno? what a weird question?

huh? i dunno? what a weird question?

Actually I meant what kind of advertisement would you like to at the busstop(that has not appeared yet)........

But then never mind......:)

uh... i dunno.. i dont want to see yunnan hair care type of ads. cute ads like virgin mobile ads? or there was this god ad... actually i dont notice ads thesedays because i'm not in sg? haha

uh... i dunno.. i dont want to see yunnan hair care type of ads. cute ads like virgin mobile ads? or there was this god ad... actually i dont notice ads thesedays because i'm not in sg? haha

Virgin mobile?? But they shut down their operation here already.......:cry::lol:

yar...but i remember their ads.. soc ute.

I cant seem to recall any of their ads thou. All I remember is they are in red?

Anyhow, I much prefer bus stops without ads anyday. :D

I cant seem to recall any of their ads thou. All I remember is they are in red?

Anyhow, I much prefer bus stops without ads anyday. :D

But there're ads everywhere......It's so commercialised these days that even woman are used as an attraction for charity........:eek:

one of the virgin mobile ads had a hunk nearly naked..

Virgin Mobile's ads are all so cool! They are the kind of ads you don't see everyday. Ads by other mobile operators all look the same, so standardised, so direct to the point, so efficient in conveying the message). I miss Virgin Mobile. Slightly more than 2 years ago they were still here, not they are gone... They still have those Virgin Soft Drinks right?

Why don't you like bus stops with ads? It defrays the cost of maintaining the bus stop in top shape and I find it entertaining at times to look at the funny amusing ads on it.

Virgin Mobile's ads are all so cool! They are the kind of ads you don't see everyday. Ads by other mobile operators all look the same, so standardised, so direct to the point, so efficient in conveying the message). I miss Virgin Mobile. Slightly more than 2 years ago they were still here, not they are gone... They still have those Virgin Soft Drinks right?


I don't really like their soft drinks......feels like colour water.......:lol: But then their ads are creative and unconventional........:yes:
:
one of the virgin mobile ads had a hunk nearly naked..

No wonder you like virgin's ad........:lol:

i dont like their soft drinks too.. very boring. it seems anything virgin does in singapore is doomed to fail haha