COMMUTERS are caught munching or sipping at drinks at the Orchard MRT station at least five times a day.
Curry puffs, biscuits and soft drinks in plastic cups are the snacks of choice in the no-eating, no-drinking zones that are MRT stations.
'Their favourite excuse is that they rushing somewhere and this was their dinner,' said Mr Ng Chee Siang, an SMRT officer of two years who does a patrol every hour.
The majority of commuters are apologetic when caught, and stop eating or drinking immediately. They are let off with a warning.
Then there are the recalcitrant.
Said Mr Ng, 34: 'One student was blatantly eating a burger on the train and when I told him to stop, he said 'Just fine me, I don't care'.'
The fine is usually $30, even for repeat offenders. If the case goes to court, the offender may be fined up to $500.
But the patrols to catch commuters in the act and the fines do not seem to be licking the problem.
Last year, 626 commuters were fined for eating and drinking, more than double the 280 in 2006. In 2007, 548 people were fined.
SMRT, which runs the trains of the North-South, East-West and Circle lines, could not say with certainty why more commuters were getting fined.
But a spokesman for SBS Transit, which runs the North-east Line, said: 'It must be noted that train ridership has also increased, which could explain why more commuters are caught flouting this regulation.'
Public transport ridership hit 4.87 million rides in the first quarter of this year, up from the 4.78 million in the same period last year.
SBS Transit has also seen a jump in the number of offenders. It handed out 10 offence notices in 2007, and 34 last year.
To deal with the masses traversing the stations daily, the two operators have put more than 500 staff on patrol to root out those who flout any of the other rules - not just those on eating and drinking.
Other regulations outlaw carrying of flammable goods and durians, and smoking. No commuters have been caught for being on board with flammable goods or durians in the last three years - but this could simply be because they can be concealed easily in bags or boxes.
Smokers, however, have been caught - three in each of the last two years. The maximum fine for smoking is $1,000.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched a 'gracious commuter' campaign on board trains and buses in May. It said that commuters have offered early feedback, saying they have seen an improvement in behaviour.
