Student concession fares on public transport

I watched the episode on the student concession fares with much interest. The poly students have asked to be given concession fares, similar to what was granted for junior college students. The disabled have also asked to be given the concessions. Even the Young PAP, which is the activist part of the party that forms the Government, has to speak at Speakers' Corner.

This episode highlights the fallacy of the Government in avoiding responsibility to govern. They prefer to let such matters be decided by the market. After privatizing the public transport, they decided that matters of fares and concessions should be decided by the public transport operators - or maybe the Public Transport Council has some say (I am not sure)!

The transport operators know the answer - maximize the profits, so they avoid having to give concessions, unless they have to. Their argument is that any concessions have to be borne by the full fare paying public, but this is not really true, as it can also be borne by reducing the shareholder's profits. This is really a political question - which cannot be dealt with by the free market. So, it is back to the Government to do the duty that they are elected to do.

I wish to extend this reasoning to many other sectors of our public life. We cannot let matters be left to the market. The Government has to step in and take the political decisions for our society, including setting laws and rules of proper behavior. If they fail in their duty, our society must surely decline.

Tan Kin Lian


  

Loss of title deeds

Dear Mr. Tan,
I agree with you that advertising lost title deed is unnecessary and a waste of time and money, as I have a similiar experience sometime ago. After all how many people bother to read the classified advertisements in the papers.

The reply they have you in the Straits Times forum page today shows that this government is inflexible in their policy. The public needs someone like you to change their thinking.  Keep it up!

 

REPLY 

I have sent a follow up reply to the Straits Times and to the Land Office. Please write to the Straits Times and give your views as well.

Mobile app - to find your car

I have developed an app to help me locate my car. It is a simple app that allows me to take photo of the pillar to identify my car and also the lift lobby. I used it at Camden Medical Center. Although it has a small car park on 2 basement floors, it seemed unnecessary for me to use this app - but I tested it anyway.

After my dental appointment, I went to basement 1 to look for my car. Somehow, the car park looked different from what I expected. I could not locate the car after walking around the car park. I thought that I might have parked my car in B2.

I looked at the photos in my app. It confirmed that my car was on B1. I also saw the photo of a large sign where my car was parked (which I had forgotten). I found my car quite easily.

The app works like a photographic memory. I did not realize that it could be quite useful, even in a small car park. It is also easy to use.  It is also possible to use the camera app that comes with your mobile phone, but a special app to find the car is easier to use and more targeted. This app will be realized in Apple App Store in December.