The Singapore Government has just given SGD300 Million to aid increased fares
We all know that public transport is a nightmare here in Malaysia, and while our Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, does occasionally make surprise visits to the LRT, it appears that the ministry taking any action is still years away. Here is how Singapore does things differently and why public transport works there.
So in Singapore, it has been reported that the fare for public transport has been increased a bit and instead of leaving the public helpless like our government likes to do so often, the Singapore government decided to help by putting in an additional SGD300 million (roughly RM1,032,040,632) to it to ease the public’s burden.
Moreover, the Singapore government has also offered a 10 percent reduction in prices for monthly concession passes and introduced a new discounted monthly pass for workfare transport concession cardholders as well as public transport vouchers worth SGD50 (about RM 172) each for lower-income households.
The Singapore Public Transport Council (PTC), following the 2023 Fare Review Exercise (FRE), has decided to grant a fare increase of 7 percent. This is lower than the maximum allowable fare adjustment quantum of 22.6 percent. Ah, to have a government that acknowledges our struggles and helps. What a sweet dream.
This number comprises last year’s deferred increase of 10.6 percent and this year’s 12 percent fare formula output. In doing so, the PTC sought to ensure that fares remain affordable for commuters. While the fares for public transport in Malaysia are also somewhat affordable, we all know it does not even run half the time so it’s useless.
On top of that, the 2023 fare formula output of 12 percent was mainly driven by the sustained increase in energy prices in 2022 (contributing 6.2 percent-points), as well as core inflation and strong wage growth, thus keeping public transport as a viable option for commuters in Singapore.So evidently, the Singapore government is doing a lot to ensure that public transport in Singapore is efficient and affordable. While it is definitely not on the same level as Japan, but then again, no other country even comes close to their efficiency and punctuality, Singapore is definitely a close second.
Well, perhaps one day, after the sun implodes, Malaysia might finally have a decent public transport system that actually works most of the time. Honestly, if the public transport does not run 24 hours, why not do maintenance after hours? Why do it during operational hours when people need it to get to work? What a joke.
So there you have it, a government that actually cares and takes action instead of just showing up every couple of months for show and a system that forces the government to be accountable is why public transport in Singapore is efficient and is a priority while in Malaysia, it is just a circus full of monkeys and headaches.
