Why means of transport are the soul of a nation ? Of hindi meaning?
Answers
Public transport has always been, and will always be, an issue close to the hearts of many Singaporeans who commute to and from work by bus or MRT daily.
Almost everyone has regularly experienced the frustration of having to board an insanely crowded bus or MRT train, and in some instances, having to wait for the next one because there was simply no space left even to squeeze in an extra slice of sardine.
Supporters of the government’s public transport policies often like to point out that off-peak, the situation is actually rather good. But isn’t the situation at peak hours the most important situation to consider? That is when people have to go to work and reach their offices punctually by 8am or 830am. That is when people have to rush back to be with their families, children, and other loved ones.
The public transport system is a most vital system in any country. It can be compared to the blood circulatory system in a human body, bringing oxygen, vital nutrients, enzymes, and fluids to every part of the body, as well as removing waste products constantly from every organ and every appendage.
The public transport system is responsible for ferrying commuters between vital locations daily, between their homes and their workplaces, between their schools and their tuition centres, between their emporiums and their recreational outlets.
A good transport system allows people to move easily between vital locations and allows important work to get done.
A bad transport system causes delays in the work and lives of people, and prevents crucial work from being completed on time. Under the People’s Action Party (PAP) government, we do not currently have a good transport system.
Singapore’s public transport system has a direct bearing on its health and economic productivity. This is because a large majority of the population uses the public transport system regularly for their commuting needs. How productive and efficient can a workforce be when the people have to face the following situation literally on a daily basis:
Public transport: Is it really public?
This section comprises of excerpts taken from SDP’s position paper on land transport which was first published on their website in 2008. The bold emphasis on certain sentences is my own.
The MRT and the bus systems claim that the public’s interest and convenience is at the heart of their operations. In reality, however, their companies are structured along private corporate principles, listed on the stock exchange with profit motivation as the core value.
Given such a narrow, profit-oriented ethos the existing monopolistic transport system can hardly be said to have the public interest at its heart. This is especially so when maximizing profit at the expense of captive users is its main driving force.
In 1970, in the name of major re-organization of bus system, the government forced ten private bus companies to combine into three. In 1973, the three bus companies were further merged to form a single Singapore Bus Service (SBS), now known as SBS Transit Ltd. And for some strange unexplained reason, in 1983 the Trans-Island Bus Services Limited (TIBS) became Singapore’s 2nd public bus operator. TIBS is now known as SMRT Buses Ltd. The first section of the MRT system opened for service in Nov 1987 from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh.
Around this time, the government set up the Public Transport Council (PTC) to what it called “balance the need to safeguard public interest and the financial viability of public transport operators”. Who are in this council and how they are appointed are matters to which the public — the users of transport — has no say.
Spearheading land transport development, including public transport, is the Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport.
The operating income (earnings before interest and taxes) of the SMRT Corporation in 2007 was $48 million. Over the years transport cost has escalated to become a major component in household expenditure.
It is vital that public transport has to be run for the benefit of the public and not for generating profits for the companies’ major shareholders and highly paid executives who sit in their air-con comfort unmindful of the plight of commuters. Long waiting time for buses and jam-packed MRT carriages are a common site.
The appointments to the PTC must be made and transparently. Elected members of the public must be able to sit in the council. Consultations with the public must be made openly and decisions of the PTC must be free of Government interference.
The companies running the MRT and bus systems must be freed of corporate-state monopoly and opened up for genuine competition between private companies that would provide the best of services at competitive prices.
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