Public transport costs

Saw Gerald Giam’s facebook post this morning that “WP has called for MRT and major bus trunk routes to be nationalised”

I somehow can’t quite agree tho’; just don’t like so many things to be under the control of the government (that directly!). With control comes power, and I’ll like more players in the industry so that power is balanced.

 

What I would like though, are fairer regulations. Regulations that protect public interests, not commercial bottom lines. Not just where transport services are concerned, but with everything else as well – private educators, health care providers etc.

 

I can’t accept the reasoning that passing on the cost (of energy price increases, etc etc) to the public is the solution. It is the easy solution of course — the public has no choice, but to pay because we have to continue taking public transport , right? A solution that increases the cost to people who have no choice simply exploits this lack of choice.

 

I’m sure if regulators hold firm against any price increase, companies will start finding more creative and fairer ways to address their rising costs. Commercial entities always have — or else they don’t deserve to be in the game.  For eg, public transport companies could think of more creative ways to offer advertising space , so that they can charge more and earn more revenue from advertisers? Medical care providers can negotiate for better drug prices, improve their processes to raise productivity etc.

 

Given the last election’s sentiments, and given the suspicion people are having that transport companies were just waiting for the election to be over to raise prices, I’ll say that any astute government would do the smart thing and hold current prices or even reduce it.