Every October I see red

October’s usually the time the Public Transport Council gives the green light for SBSTransit and SMRT Bus to raise their fares.

Has the PTC ever said no?

I believe that is a “no”.

The PTC is an independent body, that amongst other things, regulates the prices of bus and train fares.

I have no doubt that the council members are independents and have absolutely no interest nor anything to gain in their roles in their council. I have no doubt that their backgrounds are checked entirely by the government.

But for laypeople like me, I think it would be re-assuring and for purely informational purposes, that each council member state that none of them own any shares in any public transportation company.

Or if they own shares in public transportation companies, the number should be known.

Perhaps this should also be extended to their spouses.

It’s to do nothing except remind us, when do we do see red, that these are independent people who have utterly no agenda except to be fair and reasonable in the regulation of public transport in Singapore.

(If anything at all, this will stop some mad crazy frustrated Singaporean from scratching the councilman’s shiny BM, Merce or Nissan Sunny.)

Though, looking at the credentials of the council-members, one wonders if they take a bus at all on a frequent basis.

Yes, we have seen government ministers take the MRT at peak hour. But that’s with media, and a whole bunch of other people. (And yes, I am aware of at least one minister who, after getting complaints about some bus service, went to experience it for himself and apparently did something about it.)

But now we’re talking council members. Hands up anyone who sees members on this list on a regular basis taking the bus.

Because if they did take the bus, they’d see, leaking airconditioners, dirty airconditioners, leaking buses when it rains, dirty buses, buses where the air conditioning doesn’t work, yet the bus driver continues his service, etc etc.

I have even taken public transport buses in KL. Some of them are really bad. I’ll admit it. I’m sure they’re worse in India.

But a bus ride in KL that takes you a long long distance into the city, can cost you only RM1.20 fixed. (I’m not even going to convert the currencies because that’s not fair.) Sometimes some buses drivers will even change the route when they’re fed up of the jam. It’s frustrating, and you don’t have to deal with that in Singapore. But you think, okay, for the distance and price, I can put up with a few nasty surprises.

Well, we pay more, so I think we’re all on the same page that when you up the fare, it’s fair to expect more.

Good.

Then why do I still put up with crappy buses in Singapore? Why do I have to put up with incredible waiting times (half an hour is not unusual during peak hours)? How come nobody knows I’ve got to put up with this?

Let’s look at the council list again. Most interest groups are covered. We have health represented by Gerard Ee, Chairman of NKF. There’s media, represented by Goh Sin Teck, editor of myPaper (doesn’t matter if I’ve never even put my hands on one, I assume it’s a credible paper). There’s the United Workers of the Petroleum Industry, an Assoc Prof of Transport Economics (NUS), Assoc Prof of College of Engineering (NTU) – I presume he looks at the engines of the buses, the Land Transport Authority is represented, Singapore Industrial and Services Employees Union is represented – I guess this guy represents the blue collar worker in Singapore, etc, etc.

Okay, basically it’s quite an even mix of concerned parties, won’t you agree? You cover transport policy, your industries, you cover economical stuff, lower income interests.

But there is one group that is missing. It’s the bulk of the population known as the middle class. Where is their representation?

I’m thinking this fare increase stuff hits one segment of the middle class the most – the lower middle class and those that sit on the edge of the lower middle and the middle middle class.

They are not low income. They don’t get subsidies that the low income do. They don’t earn as much as the middle middle and high middle income people do. They’re sort of stuck in no man’s land with not much of a voice.

And this is the consumer voice that should be on this council.

Not the consumer voice of a lawyer or an Assoc Prof or of trade unions.

But of the person who doesn’t work in public transport, isn’t lower income, has no interest in the health of the petroleum industry.

But of the guy who just wants to get from point A to B.

The guy who needs to get to work everyday.

Your regular Joe. Or in our case, Beng.

This guy, needs to be on the PTC.

And his representation should be in the form of CASE, the Consumers Association of Singapore.

But CASE never seems to be actively looking for causes. And really, this is a good committee for CASE to be on. But I shall hold back now.

One fine day, I will get on the case of CASE, but not today.