Meet minimum service standards before accepting train charter
It is disappointing that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has decided not to take further action in the train charter incident (“LTA not taking further action against SMRT for ACS(I) train charter”; Aug 30).
It is disappointing that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has decided not to take further action in the train charter incident (“LTA not taking further action against SMRT for ACS(I) train charter”; Aug 30).
Supporters of SMRT’s decision to allow Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) to charter its trains for a schools rugby final at the National Stadium have missed the point behind the public outcry.
If it was unfeasible for ACS(I) to charter 80 private buses, there was always the more prudent option of scaling down attendance.
Equating an inter-school rugby match with National Day Parade (NDP) rehearsals is inaccurate. NDP rehearsals are events on a national scale and in the interest of all Singaporeans, so the task of ferrying participants should naturally fall on a national transport provider.
And should a public transport provider accept commercial charters while it struggles to maintain minimum standards for its primary service? Some have applauded this creative solution, yet SMRT appears to lack this enterprising muscle when managing its operating bugbears.
If SMRT is unable to improve service quality at the current fare rates, it should be upfront about this. Are our public transport woes due to lack of commercial will? Would our paying more give us better services?
The decision to charter trains was undoubtedly an innovative one. The backlash is ultimately because it implies a public transport operator can offer special privileges at a price, even though commuters feel it is failing to meet its primary objective of providing reliable and efficient public transport.