Not paying for bus rides? I have heard of such acts ever since primary school. I am however, unaware of the actual fare evasion figures, until I came across this article in The Straits Times Review column, dated Monday, May 19 2008.This author wrote that the bus operators were not doing enough to prevent or minimize such acts and highlighted the potential consequences that our society would face. Furthermore, he mentioned that the revenue foregone from such fare evasion cases was one of the main factors that contribute to the fare hikes since 2005.
Although the author had accurately relate the fare-dodging problems to the increasing bus fares issue, but I felt that he was looking at the situation in a micro perspective level. It was because the bulk of his article was solely criticizing on the responsibilities of bus operators and the failure of the system. Clearly he wanted to create public awareness and also to hint our bus operators to do something about the issue, but the true problem lies not only on them, we have to look into the social aspect as well. To cut down on these acts, schools and families must educate and inculcate our people with the right moral values.
These moral values must not only include individual discipline and conduct. Our people must be encouraged to embrace proactiveness by doing the right things at the right time. Singaporeans need to cast away the mental model of not intervening or minding your own business when they encounter cases such as these. Taking the initiative to inform these fare jumpers that what they are doing is wrong will definitely create an impact. Being placed in such an embarrassing situation, fare jumpers will not only pay for the ride but also think twice about committing such acts in the future. This also reflects on the psychological and social impact that we can bring to the society, bit by bit.
At the end of the day, implementations and improvements of systems can only minimize or possibly prevent such problems. There will never be a perfect system, but we can make it better if Singaporeans take the initiatives to influence others.
Although the author had accurately relate the fare-dodging problems to the increasing bus fares issue, but I felt that he was looking at the situation in a micro perspective level. It was because the bulk of his article was solely criticizing on the responsibilities of bus operators and the failure of the system. Clearly he wanted to create public awareness and also to hint our bus operators to do something about the issue, but the true problem lies not only on them, we have to look into the social aspect as well. To cut down on these acts, schools and families must educate and inculcate our people with the right moral values.
These moral values must not only include individual discipline and conduct. Our people must be encouraged to embrace proactiveness by doing the right things at the right time. Singaporeans need to cast away the mental model of not intervening or minding your own business when they encounter cases such as these. Taking the initiative to inform these fare jumpers that what they are doing is wrong will definitely create an impact. Being placed in such an embarrassing situation, fare jumpers will not only pay for the ride but also think twice about committing such acts in the future. This also reflects on the psychological and social impact that we can bring to the society, bit by bit.
At the end of the day, implementations and improvements of systems can only minimize or possibly prevent such problems. There will never be a perfect system, but we can make it better if Singaporeans take the initiatives to influence others.
11 comments:
i'm first! haha ok that's totally besides the point.
anyway, i agree with you! having read the article, i find that somehow, i truly sympathise with the bus operators since i'm rather certain that there are many who will immediately force the blame on and throw accusations at them for 'not doing their job' responsibly. and that is to prevent any of such occurrences from happening.
erm... what?
i think it is OUR responsibility to do what's right, not the responsibility of the bus drivers to prevent them from happening. we are human beings, HELLO! not animals. we ought to know what is right, and what is wrong.
p.s comment at my blog too can!? :D
Hey Mark, i certainly agree with your views that implementations and improvements of systems can only serve to minimise the problems, rather than solving them entirely. That is naive thiniking!
No matter how effectively they are, no measures in this world will be able to effectively contain a key factor, that is the human factor. Afterall, implementations are implented by humans to solve problems created by humans!
If you have noticed, they had constantly refined the EZ-Link system over the years. Compared to the 1st time it was implemented, now the sensor will only allow the passengers to tap at the exit only when the bus is approaching the next nearest bus stop.
Such behaviour happens everywhere, so do make an effort to embarass the bugger in public when spotted.
The author of the article, thereafter known as the 'complainant' (LOL~) is slightly over demanding and is also a narrow-sighted person (that is how i feel personally, no prejudice okay). To put it simply, his main concern might be " why am i getting the punishment in fares increments?". (And again, no prejudice.)
My first thought on the fares increment was "isn't this move implemented in conjunction with the recent price hikes on petrol?" No doubt the fares increment is affecting EVERYONE, not just the complainant alone, but, is there any other alternatives that the operators can think of? I suggest the complainant to take up the role of 'Cpt Planet' to ensure the cheaters to turn over a new leaf.
Schools and families have done their parts in nurturing the young ones. Whether to become a cheater, it is his/her choice ultimately. I shall say that it is an own-self moral problem.
Shall we go back to the old days where we have a physical bus captain to issue the small coloured tickets on the bus ensuring there is no cheating?????
The numbers are unbelievable! How were they able to estimate that they lost $9 million to cheats?
I feel that to solve this problem, we should think like a cheat. There are a few ways to cheat.
The easiest way is to just walk past the reader, without tapping the ezlink card. This is extremely difficult and can only be performed if the driver is distracted.
You can use a student's ezlink card to tap instead of the adult ezlink card, thus paying a lesser fare. This has already been solved by the ezlink card reader beeping a different tone, relying on the driver to ensure that the passenger is indeed a student.
The ezlink card works by first deducting the maximum fare that you can be charged and then refunding back the balance when you tap the card as you alight. With this system, cheaters can get more balance back by tapping their card before they arrive at the bus stop that they were going to alight.
Another way is to use someone else's concession pass. There are 3 types of concession passes and they all allow unlimited bus travel for 1 month. Although the student's face is printed on the card, the driver would need to take a close look at the photo to detect the cheat.
The last way that I could think of would be to hack into the ezlink card. It should still be able to make the card reader give out the correct beep, without deducting any real value in the card. I am not sure whether does the driver has a control panel that displays whether has a passenger tapped their card. But if there isn't any, a cheat could also use a speaker that imitates the same beep that the card reader makes and use a fake ezlink card.
Although I have listed some ways to cheat, I must insist that I do not advocate cheating and cheaters should have the integrity to stop cheating on bus fares. I believe that if cheaters were to stop cheating right away, we could have a stronger case against the bus operators raising bus fares on the premise of the loss from bus fare cheaters.
Yup Leong, it seems like the old system of bus fares are a little more reliable, but of course tons of inconveniences.
As for Bryan, I believe I can appeal to our Bus Operators to employ you to perfect the current systems. You managed to pin point the flaws and recommend solutions. Nevertheless, like I mentioned in the review, it is still our responsibility to step in at the right time to influence another person's decision to cheat.
-Mark Soo
I feel that it is typical for Singaporeans to cheat for the bus fares. They feel that there might not be a difference even if they do not pay for it. i hope that i am not pinpointing but i feel that people who thinks that they are some big shot gang member, they would not bother as they think that they deserve the respect which actually they do not.
I have seen such people who would just to sneak through and not even bother paying. I hope that there would be more people around who is responsible as the world is becoming more and more complicated.
ps leave a comment on my blog too can? (:
samantha
Bus Cheats. I'm one. Opps. Consider me cheap, stingy or to put it nicely - frugal.
I don't cheat on the SBS or SMRT buses. Just too hard to do so. For me its the free shuttle buses. Hehe.
Previously, while working as an intern at NUS; I really took a lot of shuttle buses. From the Biopolis buses to NUH buses for their staff. Now at SIM, there's the Ngee Ann Poly's buses too. Here's a trick. Don't get caught. That's bad when that happens.
To think about it, with economy inflation, if there's a free lunch; why not? Singaporeans are infamous for the "Kiasu-ism" However in my opinion, this is a initial and temporary stage of how people are actually coping with the change. Think cab fare hikes. For a period of time people refuse to take cabs when the hike just got introduced. Now? Life still functions as per normal.
Singaporeans have that weird initial stage phobia that comes with weird reactions too.
i think fare jumpers are simply people with no morals. i mean come on, how expensive can it be? and its simple logic, you want a ride, you pay for it. that's the way the world works. period
It was in the days of old during the time of the Transitlink Card when people just did not pay the correct fares. Half the time, the reason was because they did not know how much to pay in the first place.
But there was this interesting story about this lady who after 15 years, decided to give back $300 to SBS to offset the fares she cheated last time.
Which brings another issue altogether. Bus captains were entrusted with the power to question and enforce the rules against bus cheats. Somehow or rather, this escalated into one of the bus captains getting punched in the face. I agree with Ariane, it shouldn't be the bus captain's responsibility to keep checking. It should start from us. Otherwise just like armed air marshals on board airplanes, one day, armed BUS marshals. Wonderful
i believe most people or maybe even all, have cheated on bus fares once or twice.
Paying the incorrect and cheaper amt and knowing it constitutes to cheating too.
i have cheated.
and maybe if you guys didn notice, the news report stated 'Cheats cost them 9 million that year.' 'SMRT's profits slipped...'
They are still earning..lor. =x
JX
The author has indeed created awarness to this problem... I totally have no idea that bus company is losing so much from people who cheat the fares... It came out in the news that some guy felt so guilty after reading this article that he sent an anonymous letter to the bus company apologizing and enclosed $50 together with it...
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