No Hikes Please, School Bus Fares High Enough
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extracted from ST forum.
I REFER to the article, 'School bus fares going up by $5 to $10 next month' (ST, Dec 2
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Being a secondary school student, I get to enjoy the convenience of taking a school bus every day only because an affiliated primary school shares my school's premises.
However, the bus pick-up time is set according to the dismissal time of the primary school, and I have to take public transport home because my school day ends much later.
Nonetheless, I still pay a hefty $80 a month for just the one-way trip to school. This is the same as what the primary school pupils pay for a two-way trip.
I see no valid reason to raise bus fares for secondary school students like myself, who have been paying twice as much all this while.
I understand that as an industry body, the School Transport Association is concerned about rising operational costs. However, raising fares serves only to shift the problem to the families of affected students.
Perhaps $5 may not seem like a substantial amount, but it adds to the financial burden of average income earners.
I would also like to highlight the poor condition of some school buses.
While the majority I see on the roads are new and spacious, some, like the one I take every day, are old and in need of constant repair. In this case, I do not think it is fair to charge students taking these buses the same fare as those taking the new ones.
The School Transport Association should first focus on providing good service, and that includes charging reasonable fares, before thinking about raising them.
Gloria Cheng Hui Min (Miss) -
I think it's not a good sign when even kids are writing in to the ST forums to complain about price increases.
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I suggest they fire the bus company and engage another one cos its a free market. Just like students are also free to write to forum.
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Wow, no grammar errors. Whoever said our standards in english ever needed a perk up?
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does that mean we can expect another fare hike soon?
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You want another fare hike?Originally posted by dragg:does that mean we can expect another fare hike soon?
Done! -
Most Bus Company are like that one. Make Profit already but profit not large enough , ask for fare hike liao.
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Or is it unique only in Singapore?Originally posted by SBS1985C:Most Bus Company are like that one. Make Profit already but profit not large enough , ask for fare hike liao. -
soon we will be spending half our salary on transport.
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Will the government provide a subsidy so that they can keep fares down? I don't think so..Originally posted by SBS1985C:Most Bus Company are like that one. Make Profit already but profit not large enough , ask for fare hike liao.
No fare increase....how to increase pay of drivers especially when fuel prices are going up? If we want cheap fares despite rising fuel and maintenance costs, we will have to cut salaries. Either that or sack all the drivers and replace with cheap foreign talent...
These companies are in the business to earn money...they are not charities. -
Actually, pte buses many have not raised their fares for years, hence the impact in any hike is greatly felt
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they just raised recently.
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I wonder whether ministers, their relatives, close family and their children even feel a tinge when these price hikes are announced.
Regardless of whether they are chauffeur-driven or take school buses like the average kid, their 6-figure salaries ensure that such a hike is negligible to them.
How can we even ask them to combat rising costs seriously? -
i bet their children dont even know what bus fare hike is all about.Originally posted by BillyBong:I wonder whether ministers, their relatives, close family and their children even feel a tinge when these price hikes are announced.
Regardless of whether they are chauffeur-driven or take school buses like the average kid, their 6-figure salaries ensure that such a hike is negligible to them.
How can we even ask them to combat rising costs seriously? -
Their Scheme B supplement bus svs (That supplement SBS or SMRT rts during peak hrs)Originally posted by dragg:they just raised recently.
Old Fares:
$0.50, $0.65, $0.80, $0.90
New fares:
$0.60, $0.80, $1.00, $1.10 -
Can we ask the oil companies to subsidise diesel to these buses since feul prices have gone up so sharply?
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In the 1st place, subsidy can only come from the government
Oil co are profit driven firms, there are bound to be conflict on reducing their margins -
I say cut the SMRT and SBS's CEOs salaries.
Their yearly packages are in millions. What had they done to justify such high salaries? -
Since when SBS and SMRT are running the sv we are talking in this thread? -
But if we ask the govt to subsidise us, we will end up paying even more taxes.Originally posted by sbst275:In the 1st place, subsidy can only come from the government
Oil co are profit driven firms, there are bound to be conflict on reducing their margins
Or else, we can ask these bus companies to subsidise our students. -
Huh Huh Huh...Originally posted by Salman:But if we ask the govt to subsidise us, we will end up paying even more taxes.
Or else, we can ask these bus companies to subsidise our students.
If that's the case, that's why countries like Malaysia are reducing their subsidies
Bus Co to provide concession fares? Isn't it given to all except teritary students? -
they know how to increase fares!!!Originally posted by Cindyfeh:I say cut the SMRT and SBS's CEOs salaries.
Their yearly packages are in millions. What had they done to justify such high salaries?
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On their own private transport companies in Singapore history have never succeeded in convincing CASE of cartel or collective fare increases. Such increases by business cartels e.g. insurances are actually subjected to supply and demand equations or market conditions.Originally posted by dragg:they know how to increase fares!!!
However, since minister has for some unfathomable reason already sided with SBS fare increases earlier including preemptive fare increases soon after recessions now he will naturally want to let private transport companies increase their own fares as such increases especially on the ground of oil price hikes can in a way justify his earlier SBS preemptive fare increases. (despite making good profits)
This is a justification exercise Singapore style - to cover for earlier mistake instead of solving problems proactively to justify earlier SBS fare increases as not wrong.
If private transport companies are to lose monies normally it was not the minister's business to step in the past to intervene. Now because of his earlier strange support for SBS fare increases, he would have to try some way to justify private transport increasing fares as that move will justify his own earlier SBS fare increases. -
The issue comes to how much profits are they making right?
Let's put it frank, they have raised the fares, yet their profit has dropped... Why?
Partly is the higher diesel coses, another issue is govt making a din...
They want to reduce Malaysian drivers driving SBS bus, so to get more ppl, they increased the wages by 100%, creating higher cost for bus ops... -
I would rather think that the reason why minister will intervene in supporting transport fare increases is to protect GLCs like SMRT to make profits. Temasek has a lot of clout in such matter or decision because of government being into business. It is no longer a localized issue like SBS bus drivers going across to work for Johore transport companies.