Possible SMRT buses integrated into SBST buses
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Speak up here, bus fans, there has been talks about a maybe SMRT trains only, and SBST buses only. How would you like to see a Habit, DAF or Dennis Lance in SBST livery?
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That will be nice, but no, there wont be such a possibility, as SBST is very stubborn.
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I ThiNK.. in our Dreamz.. this would be happening... bUt in ReAl life.. i dont really think so.. but.... it would be nice seeing all the Bendy Bus iN SBST logo.... haha...
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How bout the other way round.. ? SBST Trains only and SMRT BUs only.. ? anyone fancy a DD bus on a SMRT logo.. ???
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I have another idea. How about doing up one with photoshop and see how it looks?Originally posted by sBs_boy:How bout the other way round.. ? SBST Trains only and SMRT BUs only.. ? anyone fancy a DD bus on a SMRT logo.. ???
We can also use photoshop to paint an LP1113 or OF1417 in modern SBST livery, or one of those old Hino RK176 in SMRTB scheme. How about a Habit in Comfortbus colours? I'd bet it will look many times better than the plain ugly SMRTB red. And yeah the ex-CSS U31R's REALLY look like one of those U31SCN's previously in old SBS colours. Ugly. I actually mistook one of them for an SBS U31SCN if not for the realisation that SBST have scrapped all of them. -
2 Companies is enough. Merge for what? Competition is needed in Singapore.
But this doesn't apply to TV stations -
Cannot be lah! If there is, I would have set up such a topic, anyway, I think the tibs livery is FAR nicer than the SMRT one. Maybe the two companies even want to compete with livery, HA!Originally posted by sBs_boy:How bout the other way round.. ? SBST Trains only and SMRT BUs only.. ? anyone fancy a DD bus on a SMRT logo.. ??? -
On the contrary, I seem to think the TIBS one looks so 1970s. I was quite relieved to see it dissapear from our roads!Originally posted by SBS3624G:Cannot be lah! If there is, I would have set up such a topic, anyway, I think the tibs livery is FAR nicer than the SMRT one. Maybe the two companies even want to compete with livery, HA!
Anywayz, irregardless of it happening, I do wish for a merger under the SBST umbrella. I am sick of the difficulties in going up north, even thou I live in the Northeast which is supposed to be their neighbour! -
If wanna go Yishun.. Can Take 854 what.. since you are living in Hougang.. Unless you wanna go Sambawang, Woodlands or CCk lar.. this is only my Opinion..Originally posted by huaiwei:On the contrary, I seem to think the TIBS one looks so 1970s. I was quite relieved to see it dissapear from our roads!
Anywayz, irregardless of it happening, I do wish for a merger under the SBST umbrella. I am sick of the difficulties in going up north, even thou I live in the Northeast which is supposed to be their neighbour! -
I dont like the idea of having only one bus loh. Anyhow, I still have to take another bus within Hougang to get to 854, and when it reaches Yishun, gotta change to another bus again! Two transfers for a bus trip is kinda ridiculous in today's day and age, isnt it?Originally posted by sBs_boy:If wanna go Yishun.. Can Take 854 what.. since you are living in Hougang.. Unless you wanna go Sambawang, Woodlands or CCk lar.. this is only my Opinion..
Woodlands recently got slightly better due to the two express buses introduced by both companies from Hougang, but yeah, two transfers are still needed. I am quite happy that they are express services thou, so I dont mind. -
Aaaaaaiiiiiiiii, I can only conclude that if we have the companies challenging each other, duplications will occur, yet if this situation persists, it ain't gonna help us either.Originally posted by huaiwei:On the contrary, I seem to think the TIBS one looks so 1970s. I was quite relieved to see it dissapear from our roads!
Anywayz, irregardless of it happening, I do wish for a merger under the SBST umbrella. I am sick of the difficulties in going up north, even thou I live in the Northeast which is supposed to be their neighbour! -
Depends. Dublication actually helps the customer, isnt it? You get to choose, and you get more bus routes going the same way...meaning higher overall frequencies!Originally posted by SBS3624G:Aaaaaaiiiiiiiii, I can only conclude that if we have the companies challenging each other, duplications will occur, yet if this situation persists, it ain't gonna help us either.
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Yeah, but you will also get higher prices as more fuel and buses are needed, so either way, we still get problems.
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No, and that is the most funny thing about how the government tries to explain non-dublication and confuse the public.Originally posted by SBS3624G:Yeah, but you will also get higher prices as more fuel and buses are needed, so either way, we still get problems.
If we were to base this on basic demand and supply principles, and assume that all bus companies here are profit maximising entities, then dublication will actually benefit consumers either way. When two companies offer the same bys route, they still have to take into account actual demand along it, which obviously dosent neccesarily multiply by two with two routes. The demand is shared, and they will have to adjust and reduce their frequencies if need be in response.
If they were to do the uneconomical thing of offering an increase in frequency despite low demand, and try to charge higher fares, then a price war can result, with each companuy under-cutting the other to gain more passengers. The result is that both comapnies end up having to keep their prices low anyway. In some cases, they might get into a cartel and both raises fares to the same level, undermining the basics of open competition, and which I assume is the main problem you are refering to. Of coz, both are only possible provided there is no governmental intervention and the like.
But of coz, I was refering to the current state of affairs here, with governmental control over certain aspects such as pricing. It almost always helps to have more then one route to take from point A to B, which I assume most of us would have discovered in our daily journeys. -
Very true, but I think that there is no competition bet. SBST and SMRT now.
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I dont think there is any either anyway!Originally posted by SBS3624G:Very true, but I think that there is no competition bet. SBST and SMRT now. -
There is actuallyOriginally posted by huaiwei:I dont think there is any either anyway! -
Elaborate then...Originally posted by sbst275:There is actually
(I am refering to the bus segment only...not the Rail-Bus one)
There will be some competition, yes, but I would think they are the exception rather then the norm... -
39 vs 969 (CACC bound passengers)Originally posted by huaiwei:Elaborate then...
(I am refering to the bus segment only...not the Rail-Bus one)
There will be some competition, yes, but I would think they are the exception rather then the norm...
161 vs 965
168 vs 969
162 vs 167
166 vs 851
160/ 170 vs 950
107 vs 853
25 vs 854 -
77 vs 174
66 vs 67 -
Dont you think those instances are more of the exception rather then the norm, as I said earlier? In fact, howmany of these services actually have an extended length of their routes being directly dublicated, like the one between 25 and 854, which is what I would consider a rare example of some competition, albeit only in the Hougang-Bedok sector.
When I refer to true blue competition, I envisage a situation whereby both bus companies are free to run any route to any destination. We cant possibly claim that we have competition when, for example, we still have bus companies monopolising (or close to it) bus interchanges and terminals! -
competition for the sake of competition (esp. in a small market like ours) is self-destructive.
the tv stations may be one example with both bleeding millions over the past four years. for a business, the bottomline (profits/losses) is the priority.
another example would be the low-cost carriers...tiger,airasia, jetstar asia, valuair (even though not strictly lcc), thai airasia, merpati, lion air......good for consumers initially, but from the examples in europe, unsustainable in the long run and leading to company closure and job losses. lccs are willing to undercut even the cost price of a seat to "compete" with rivals. probably strategically competitive, but financially ruinous.
having said that, i think the present situation is just nice...both smrt and sbstransit are still making profits *overall*. we still have some choice. my mom remembers a time when there was NO tibs...people were simpler then..they just wanted to get from point A to point B...without arguing over whether there was a monopoly or not, or competition for the sake of competition.