As a commuter who has to take MRT on a daily basis, I observes that the train tends to be packed to the brim during peak hours, and often during non-peak hours, the train does not have empty seats.
Moreover with the unpredictable weather, there is almost always someone who is coughing his/her lungs out, and sharing spreading the germs with every other commuters. As for the end of the day, we tend to be treated to the sweet perfume stinking perspiration.
One of the question that often comes to my mind is what should the level of service be provided by public transport? Is they just a means of transport that brings you from point A to point B irregardless of the condition you have to put up with? Or is there a minimum condition such as ensuring that around 90% of the commuters have a seat? (Oh, we are not charity, profit is more important than customer satisfaction. If you are not happy, don’t take public transport.)
At the current level of service that is demonstrated by our service providers, it is clearly just as a means of transport, irregardless of the condition that one has to put up with. Thus, it is no brainer that those who can afford the exorbitant price of a car and its usage cost, will tend to purchase one and use it.
The other alternative from public transport, that is obviously not an option of those who cannot afford, is taxi. However, even for those who can afford, with the new ruling that taxi can only stop (both alighting and boarding) at taxi stand in CBD area, it makes travelling by taxi in CBD a big useless exercise. It is especially for the old and aged, the disabled, the foreigner and local who are unfamiliar with location, those with lots of baggage (especially tourist on conferences) and during thunderstorm. (Oh, the conference tourist that caught a cold after being drenched in the thunderstorm and sprung his ankle lugging his baggages searching for the venue with presents that were damaged by the rain, will veto the next conference to be held in Singapore.) So, it is back to private cars.
So, with the public transport providing sardine pack conditions during peak hours and lack of seats during off-peak hours, and the regulatory restriction of stopping only at taxi stand in CBD, the fundamentals of the transport just isn’t there. Increasing the cost and usage of the car, will be seen as just out to squeeze the people, rather than truly address the transport issue.
The transport system, being something that every people has to live with, no wonder, is a motivation pushing the search for greener pasture. (Oh, my friend just got a second hand car at USD$1500 in USA.)
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As long as the rakyat does not express their displeasure in terms of votes, a lot of the conditions will either not change, or just change cosmetically.
actually all we need are foreigners to complain and you will see change happening.
@xizor2000: that is the general feeling. changes that benefit the citizens are slow to come. changes that benefit the country’s revenue are fast to come.
@superman: No exactly. There are different classes of foreigners (based on skin color of white, yellow, brown, and black). The mentality of foreign superiority tends to mean treating the whites better, but not the non-whites. This tend to translate to listening more to the white foreigners.
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