I HAVE not taken the MRT for almost two years. Why? The simple reason is that there are no vacant seats. And now the recent news that SMRT will remove more seats to make room for standing passengers makes me not want to take MRT even more.

It is not that I cannot stand in the MRT, but to me it is more about how comfortable the journey is, and not just reaching my destination. I am sure many Singaporeans will feel the same way I do.

If we buy a car, we have to consider factors like Electronic Road Pricing. If we take a taxi, we have to think of the surcharges. Therefore buses and the MRT are more affordable modes of transport. However, the reason SMRT gives for creating more standing room by removing more seats is ridiculous as it will only benefit SMRT by squeezing in more passengers so it can make more profits.

It is not as if, with fewer seats, fares will go down. In fact, they will go up as the year goes by, with SMRT citing higher costs. My suggestion is that if SMRT cannot manage so many passengers, it should increase frequency even more. If three minutes is not good enough, make less than three minutes. This is what I call a world-class transport system, not making passengers squeeze like sardines.

Camillus Yap

Read also:
MRT trains with fewer seats
Tokyo-style train pushers?

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Nov 22, 2008.

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