SHE regularly cheated on her bus fare. And for years, thought nothing of it.
Then, more than a decade later, she was tormented by guilt.
And decided to make amends.
She calculated the amount she had underpaid and sent it to SBS Transit with a letter of apology.
It arrived at the bus company on 26 Oct.
Inside was $360 in cash.
The letter carried the sender's name as 'Serene Lim', but not her address.
It seemed that as a struggling undergrad in the 1990s, she would save by not paying the full fare on bus rides.
For her journeys to and from university daily, she would punch in the minimum fare on her farecard.
Then she would move to the back, or upstairs if it was a double-decker bus, hoping no ticket inspector would board the bus and catch her.
She was likely to have underpaid by 50 cents or more on each bus ride.
Recently, head bowed in prayer, she was suddenly struck by guilt over what she had done.
So she typed the letter of confession and apology, enclosed the money and sent it by registered post.
The chief operating officer of SBS Transit, Mr Gan Juay Kiat, received the letter at his Braddell Road office.
He said: "I often get letters in the mail, but this one really brightened up my day."
Under the heading "Return of Money", the letter consisted of just five paragraphs.
It was simple, and seemed sincere.
The writer explained that she would 'often under-pay' her bus fares when travelling to university in order to "cut down on my travelling expense".
She wrote: "I graduated and went to work. I stopped my illegal way of saving money when I became a Christian."
Ms Lim also admitted she had "conveniently forgotten about my stealing from your company".
MAKING AMENDS
But then the memory came back to bother her.
She wrote: "However, as I was spending time in prayer a few weeks back, I was reminded of the money I had stolen from your Company many years ago."
She explained: "It is not a large amount by any means, but I would still like to return it to your Company as an act of restitution."
The letter ended with a plea for forgiveness: "I want to apologise for stealing back when I didn't know better and was trying to save money.
"I hope you will accept the return of the money and forgive me."
Her letter moved Mr Gan, who said: "It is indeed heartwarming to know that Ms Lim had decided to return the money for under-paying her bus fares years ago.
"It was my birthday the day her letter came, and it was the best gift I received - from a commuter who wanted to make good."
The money would be donated to the Home Nursing Foundation.
Mr Gan said this was one of his most memorable experiences since assuming his position with SBS Transit in April this year.
"I have received letters to compliment bus captains, but this is the first time I've received such a letter from a commuter," he said.
He recognised her honesty, saying: "She could have not done a thing and no one would have known, but she did, and for that we are sincerely grateful."
Mr Gan was quick to point out that SBSTransit does not want to "encourage commuters to cheat on their fares and then pay up after", but stressed that this is an unforgettable case for him.
He would have liked to thank Ms Lim personally but, as she left no details other than her name, his staff have not been able to track her down.
Still, he is hoping that she will come forward.
He said: "We would like to appeal for her to come forth so that we can thank her in person, but we understand if she doesn't wish to."
OTHER CASES
According to SBS Transit's director of corporate communications, Ms Tammy Tan, this is not the first time that a commuter has sent in money for under-paying bus fares.
Said Ms Tan: "We have had cases in the past where a few commuters sent in letters or cards saying they were sorry for underpaying their fares and enclosed $2."
But Ms Lim's letter was a surprise because of the amount she sent.
"This is the highest amount that we've received in recent times," said Ms Tan.
SBS Transit would acknowledge the letters of those who include their contact details and thank them for writing in.
Ms Tan said there is an estimated 42,000 cases of fare evasion on buses every day. SBS Transit takes a serious view of bus fare cheats.
"Fare evaders are penalising those who pay the correct fare," said Ms Tan.
"To protect the interests of the commuting public, we sincerely hope all commuters will adhere to paying the correct fares."
"She could have not done a single thing and no one would have known, but she did, and for that we are sincerely grateful." - SBS Transit COO Gan Juay Kiat
