PTC approved yet another fare increase!

PTC has approved of fare increase for bus and train fares. So what is new?

This time round, the increase is small, subjected to a 2.4% cap. This roughly translates to about 1-3 cents increase for mrt/lrt and 1 to 2 cents for bus, travelling using ezlink card. The brunt of the increase is on cash paying passengers where they will be subjected to a 10 cents increase.

This will results in an estimated of 1.3 to 1.4 million of profits to SBS Transit and SMRT. Quite a big increase in profits, I must say.

A small increase, one may say but mutiple small increases are as bad as one big fare increase. Even worse, they can claim they are small increases only and not big increases and hence justifying yet another fare increase. Pardon the jump in logic, but well, not in the mood for long lengthy essaay, esp I have another 2 blogs to flesh out!

Read 2 letters to the forum page on the Straits Time (no URL as the online paper needs subscription). Interesting and thought for food. Esp when most of the time, we are always the passive.

Price adjustment, only downwards adjustment, should be done periodically to ensure that travel fares maintain low and not inflated towards operators' profit only. This will ensure that fares are in touch with the economic situation at times. Handling out subsidies to needy familes can reach so much, if the fares are high, you will be dragging people down to a level that they will need subsidies soon.

There is an article that is shown in all newspapers, saying the fare increase of an average household of 2 adults and 2 kids is only about $2-$3 per month. The average cost is $144 so it rose to $146. How do they derive $144 when I am hitting $100 a month.
Let's work out my cost.
Bus service 26/853 to Kallang MRT - $0.63
Kallang MRT to Jurong East MRT - $1.44
Rebate - ($0.25)
One way journey - $1.82
Two way journey - $3.64
Assume 20 working days - $72.80

2 adults like me will be a $145.80, above cost estimation. Yes, it did say average, I do not consider myself as the higher end, as more ppl take 2 buses and the mrt to travel to work.
Worse off, this is only for daily working commuting purposes only...