There was yet another disruption at the sprawling Bukit Panjang LRT system yesterday.
Oh wait, it's just a 7.8km light rail system actually.
Before that on May 17, another disruption took place.
Before that on April 19, another disruption took place.
I will run out of blog space if I'd posted all the disruptions.
In January this year, it was reported in Straits Times that between Jan 2008 till Jan 2011, there were 32 major disruptions at the LRT.
That is about 1 disruption per month!
SMRT, which runs the LRT line and effectively monopolises nearly all train lines in the country, was fined $400,000 in 2008 for a horrific maintenance accident that left thousands stranded.
From time to time, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has also imposed earth-shattering $100-300 fines for lapses in service provision either by SMRT buses or trains.
What is the effectiveness of such fines?
Let's figure- SMRT is about 50% owned by sovereign fund Temasek Holdings. LTA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport.
Common factor: Government>>> PAP
The only way we will see service quality improvement from a monopoly is if real competition is introduced.
If you carefully study Hong Kong's public transport system, arguably one of the best in Asia, you will find that from buses to trains and taxis, there is a very strong private sector participation.
This forces the previously government-owned MTR Corporation, which runs Hong Kong's biggest metro system, to stay customer focused and vigilant.
Commuters also have viable alternatives.
Singapore's public transport woes are only getting worse. If you can't stand the squeeze in the MRT, you can take the bus or taxi.
However, Comfort Delgro runs most of the buses and taxis in the country and the company is also more than 50% owned by Temasek Holdings.
Thus, the entire public transport system in Singapore is operated by and owned directly or indirectly by the Singapore government aka PAP.
In a situation like this, lots of groupthink happens in the strategic decision making of our transport system and the best we can get is the ERP, and now, Satellite ERP.
While the May 2011 Elections is a watershed in many ways, it seems the PAP is sticking to the same old ways in the manner it runs the country.
From the Tanglin flooding to dead body in water tank, PAP Ministers and officials are only working hard to shirk responsibility.
Heaven forbid if we continue to get a President who only toes the ruling party's line.
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