Jan 25, 2008
Two men detained for planning acts of terror
Another has been placed under a restriction order; all three were 'self-radicalised'
By Zakir Hussain
TWO men have been detained under the Internal Security Act for planning acts of terror after being influenced by radical ideas in print, on video and online.
They had travelled abroad, one made bombs, and both wanted to fight in such places as Afghanistan, Palestine and Chechnya and die as martyrs.
A third man involved in their activities was last month placed under a restriction order (RO), which allows him to stay home but limits his activities outside.
All three are aged 26.
In making the announcement yesterday, the Home Affairs Ministry also said it was releasing six men: five Jemaah Islamiah (JI) detainees and a man who helped the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a Philippine militant group.
Even as terror groups such as the JI have been crippled, the latest arrests mark a new threat, which the Government last year described as a 'troubling new phenomenon' of self-radicalised individuals who imbibe extreme ideology independent of direct recruitment by established terror groups.
Security analysts say this trend of 'DIY (do-it-yourself) terrorists' is set to grow as such ideas multiply on the Internet on as many as 6,000 websites.
The first new detainee is Muhammad Zamri Abdullah, who had gone abroad to try to join a 'mujahidin network', whose aim was to wage armed jihad - a struggle he believed was religiously justified.
Since 2003, he had also spread his radical ideas and succeeded in influencing two: Maksham Mohd Shah, who, like him, was detained last month, and Mohammad Taufik Andjah Asmara, who was put under an RO last month.
The ministry gave no further details of the trio.
The arrests come less than a year after 'self-radicalised' former law lecturer Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader was detained after making plans to join the Taleban.
In its statement, the ministry traced the latest detainees' militant activities to 2006, as they prepared for 'armed jihad'.
It started with Zamri falsely claiming in early 2006 that he was the local representative of a foreign radical group.
He made Maksham and Taufik members by taking the bai'ah, or oath of allegiance, to him, and collected money from them to donate to another militant foreign group.
In mid-2006, his interest in militant rhetoric online led him to befriend a foreigner in the JI's Al-Ghuraba cell .In November that year, Zamri and Maksham went abroad to meet the foreigner.
They were planning to take the bai'ah to leaders of radical groups in that country to join 'mujahidin networks'.
Zamri believed doing so would let them get training and eventually travel overseas to wage armed jihad in places such as Afghanistan, Palestine and Chechnya.
One leader they wanted to meet was a known leader of a terrorist group.
But both detainees could not get an appointment with the foreign leaders.
The ministry also said Maksham, apart from developing radical ideas, made improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Inspired by news footage showing Molotov cocktails used in attacks, he experimented with sparklers to make the bombs.
Later, to avoid detection here, he went overseas to source materials commonly used to make IEDs, such as ball bearings and fertilisers.
He also initiated overseas camping trips after watching terrorist training videos.
Both Maksham and Zamri used the trips 'to toughen themselves mentally and physically so that they would be prepared to undertake armed jihad', the ministry said.
As for Taufik, Maksham introduced him to Zamri in 2003. Like the duo, he became 'self-radicalised'.
But the ministry said its investigations showed that he had begun to distance himself from them and their activities.
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) president Alami Musa last night said the three were 'clearly misguided', and their plans could have caused the loss of innocent lives and destabilised society.
'This is not the true teaching of Islam or any civilisation,' he said.
zakirh@sph.com.sg
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Health-care costs jumped 6.2% last year
Health-care costs jumped 6.2% last year
Explaining the rise, minister gives the assurance that costs will remain affordable
By Lynn Lee
22 Jan 2008
THE cost of health care shot up last year by 6.2 per cent, a big jump over the annual average of the previous five years.
The rise between 2002 and 2006 was an average 2.4 per cent a year.
In releasing the figures yesterday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan attributed the 'higher than normal' increase to the jump in medical fees and prices of Chinese medicine.
He was responding to MP Sam Tan (Tanjong Pagar GRC), who asked why health-care costs had shot up and what aid poor Singaporeans would receive.
Replying, Mr Khaw explained that the health-care inflation rate was measured by the price changes of a basket of items and the cost of three, in particular, had soared.
They were: fees in public and private hospitals; outpatient specialist fees in public health-care institutions; and the cost of Chinese herbs and treatment from a Chinese physician.
For instance, traditional Chinese medicine cost 33 per cent more last year than in 2005.
The minister traced the various increases to these factors: higher oil prices causing imports to cost more; the rise in wages of health-care workers; and the goods and services tax (GST) going up from 5 per cent to 7 per cent last July.
These were also the factors that fuelled Singapore's inflation rate, which hit 4.2 per cent in November and could cross the 5 or even 6 per cent mark this year.
The fast-rising cost of living was also noted earlier in the House by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Four MPs, including Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC), raised questions on, among other things, the plight of the poor as prices rise for necessities such as housing.
The Finance Minister assured Singaporeans that the Government would continue with its 'targeted and efficient' help schemes, such as Workfare for needy older workers.
Mr Khaw made a similar pledge. Public health-care costs, he said, would always stay affordable, even though some inflation was inevitable.
The needy are already getting help in several ways.
For instance, the Government has absorbed the GST hike on their health-care bills.
It is also reviewing MediShield to see if this national medical insurance scheme can cover bigger hospital bills.
But, Mr Khaw said, the Government was not in favour of increasing hospital subsidies for the lower-income. Subsidies now stand at 80 per cent for C-class wards and 65 per cent for B2 class.
'I think it is unwise to vary (the subsidy levels),' he responded to Mr Tan's suggestion. One reason: The level of subsidy will be refined when means testing takes effect.
It will give the rich a lower subsidy than the poor for the ward that they choose. The aim is to give scarce resources to those who need them most.
For those in dire need, they can turn to the Government's health-care safety net Medifund to pay their medical bills. Around 98 per cent of those who apply for help get it.
Sometimes, it results in them getting a 100 per cent subsidy on their hospital bill, said Mr Khaw.
Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong asked why the average Medifund payout had decreased from $174 in 2001 to $132 in 2006.
Mr Khaw said the figure was not the average payout per person. Rather, out of the 300,000 or so approved applications last year, some would have been repeat applicants.
Thus, the payout would vary depending on how much a person had received, and whether it was for inpatient or outpatient bills.
'So I'm not surprised it should come down or go up, and I don't think we should read any more than that into it. The key point is, those who need help will be helped,' he said.
lynnlee@sph.com.sg
Explaining the rise, minister gives the assurance that costs will remain affordable
By Lynn Lee
22 Jan 2008
THE cost of health care shot up last year by 6.2 per cent, a big jump over the annual average of the previous five years.
The rise between 2002 and 2006 was an average 2.4 per cent a year.
In releasing the figures yesterday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan attributed the 'higher than normal' increase to the jump in medical fees and prices of Chinese medicine.
He was responding to MP Sam Tan (Tanjong Pagar GRC), who asked why health-care costs had shot up and what aid poor Singaporeans would receive.
Replying, Mr Khaw explained that the health-care inflation rate was measured by the price changes of a basket of items and the cost of three, in particular, had soared.
They were: fees in public and private hospitals; outpatient specialist fees in public health-care institutions; and the cost of Chinese herbs and treatment from a Chinese physician.
For instance, traditional Chinese medicine cost 33 per cent more last year than in 2005.
The minister traced the various increases to these factors: higher oil prices causing imports to cost more; the rise in wages of health-care workers; and the goods and services tax (GST) going up from 5 per cent to 7 per cent last July.
These were also the factors that fuelled Singapore's inflation rate, which hit 4.2 per cent in November and could cross the 5 or even 6 per cent mark this year.
The fast-rising cost of living was also noted earlier in the House by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Four MPs, including Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC), raised questions on, among other things, the plight of the poor as prices rise for necessities such as housing.
The Finance Minister assured Singaporeans that the Government would continue with its 'targeted and efficient' help schemes, such as Workfare for needy older workers.
Mr Khaw made a similar pledge. Public health-care costs, he said, would always stay affordable, even though some inflation was inevitable.
The needy are already getting help in several ways.
For instance, the Government has absorbed the GST hike on their health-care bills.
It is also reviewing MediShield to see if this national medical insurance scheme can cover bigger hospital bills.
But, Mr Khaw said, the Government was not in favour of increasing hospital subsidies for the lower-income. Subsidies now stand at 80 per cent for C-class wards and 65 per cent for B2 class.
'I think it is unwise to vary (the subsidy levels),' he responded to Mr Tan's suggestion. One reason: The level of subsidy will be refined when means testing takes effect.
It will give the rich a lower subsidy than the poor for the ward that they choose. The aim is to give scarce resources to those who need them most.
For those in dire need, they can turn to the Government's health-care safety net Medifund to pay their medical bills. Around 98 per cent of those who apply for help get it.
Sometimes, it results in them getting a 100 per cent subsidy on their hospital bill, said Mr Khaw.
Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong asked why the average Medifund payout had decreased from $174 in 2001 to $132 in 2006.
Mr Khaw said the figure was not the average payout per person. Rather, out of the 300,000 or so approved applications last year, some would have been repeat applicants.
Thus, the payout would vary depending on how much a person had received, and whether it was for inpatient or outpatient bills.
'So I'm not surprised it should come down or go up, and I don't think we should read any more than that into it. The key point is, those who need help will be helped,' he said.
lynnlee@sph.com.sg
Monday, January 21, 2008
57,000 stuck by a 7 hour breakdown in MRT train service
21 Jan
57,000 stuck by 7-hour breakdown in MRT train service
Disruption of services from Pasir Ris to Tanah Merah caused by stalled maintenance work train.
SOME 57,000 were stranded when MRT train services on the East-West line between Pasir Ris and Tanah Merah stations were disrupted on Monday morning.
There was no train service from 5.28 am till 12.45 pm between the two stations. Normal service resumed after that.
The disruption was caused by the breakdown of a maintenance work train which was carrying out works between Tampines and Simei (westbound) MRT stations, said SMRT in a statement on Monday.
'There were some damages to the maintenance works train and we are investigating the cause,' said SMRT, the train operator.
During the breakdown, eastbound trains were turned around at Tanah Merah MRT station.
Buses were deployed to ferry stranded passengers between the two stations, with the first arriving at Tanah Merah MRT station at 5.48 am.
Forty SMRT buses and 30 Singapore Bus Service Transport buses were sent to Pasir, Ris, Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah stations to pick up the commuters.
The disruption also affected wesbound shuttle trains serving Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations from 8.28 am.
They were running at 28-minute intervals to ease passenger flow at Tampines and Simei MRT stations.
SMRT said passengers were informed of the service disruption and the free bus bridging services through train and station announcements, notices and rail travel information system in the stations and broadcast channels.
Many passengers also had difficulty getting taxis as most of them were occupied.
SMRT said passengers who were unable to complete their journey due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund from the Passenger Service Centre at any of the 51 SMRT stations within the next three working days, from Monday to Thursday.
SMRT has apologised for the inconvenience caused.
57,000 stuck by 7-hour breakdown in MRT train service
Disruption of services from Pasir Ris to Tanah Merah caused by stalled maintenance work train.
SOME 57,000 were stranded when MRT train services on the East-West line between Pasir Ris and Tanah Merah stations were disrupted on Monday morning.
There was no train service from 5.28 am till 12.45 pm between the two stations. Normal service resumed after that.
The disruption was caused by the breakdown of a maintenance work train which was carrying out works between Tampines and Simei (westbound) MRT stations, said SMRT in a statement on Monday.
'There were some damages to the maintenance works train and we are investigating the cause,' said SMRT, the train operator.
During the breakdown, eastbound trains were turned around at Tanah Merah MRT station.
Buses were deployed to ferry stranded passengers between the two stations, with the first arriving at Tanah Merah MRT station at 5.48 am.
Forty SMRT buses and 30 Singapore Bus Service Transport buses were sent to Pasir, Ris, Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah stations to pick up the commuters.
The disruption also affected wesbound shuttle trains serving Tampines, Simei and Tanah Merah MRT stations from 8.28 am.
They were running at 28-minute intervals to ease passenger flow at Tampines and Simei MRT stations.
SMRT said passengers were informed of the service disruption and the free bus bridging services through train and station announcements, notices and rail travel information system in the stations and broadcast channels.
Many passengers also had difficulty getting taxis as most of them were occupied.
SMRT said passengers who were unable to complete their journey due to the disruption can claim a full fare refund from the Passenger Service Centre at any of the 51 SMRT stations within the next three working days, from Monday to Thursday.
SMRT has apologised for the inconvenience caused.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Overhaul of bus system for smooth, fast trips
Overhaul of bus system for smooth, fast trips
Govt to control planning of routes, bus market to be open to competition
By Goh Chin Lian
BUS travel here will undergo an overhaul to give commuters a faster, smoother and more pleasant ride.
This will happen in two stages over the next few years. First, the Government will take back control of the planning of routes from the two public transport companies.
The aim: to find the fastest and best route for commuters by bus and MRT - not how to make more money.
Then, it will open up the bus market to more competition. The idea is that contest could lead to better ways of doing things, and maybe, even lower costs.
More immediately, transfers will become easier and cheaper, and commuters will get more information on the go, to plan how best to make their journey.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim gave the details yesterday in the first of three key policy speeches he will make this month on how travel by bus, rail and car will change.
This shake-up of the land transport landscape foresees that by 2020, 14.3 million journeys will be made every day on this small island, up from 8.9 million now.
The future will be gridlock and pollution if many more people take to cars, he said.
The thing to do now is to move more people to public transport: Mr Lim's target is 70 per cent for all journeys in the morning peak by 2020, up from 63 per cent now.
But what will it take, he asked, for the majority to choose the bus or MRT over the car?
His ministry's solution for buses combines radical strokes with fine tweaking.
It is the fruit of a year-long study to take stock of a 1996 road-map on land transport and lay out a new one, good for the next 10 to 15 years.
The planners turned to consultants who assessed what worked for such cities as London, Hong Kong and Melbourne, and sought public views.
The 'new philosophy', as Mr Lim calls it, is to plan transport through the eyes of the commuter - from the time he thinks about making his journey to the time he reaches his destination.
'Our land transport system must be planned and built for people, not vehicles,' he said.
'Can people get to a train station or bus stop quickly and comfortably? Are the connections good? How long is the total journey time and waiting time between transfers? How crowded are the buses and trains? Can people get timely and user-friendly travel information?'
The Government will consider such concerns when it plans the bus routes and opens them up to the best bidder to run them, possibly as early as 2010.
It will specify standards for what commuters, in a 2007 official poll released yesterday, see as still lacking in the current system - less overcrowding, shorter waiting times.
If the consultants are right, the market has room for a few more bus operators.
These major changes aside, the planners are also tweaking the system to make transfers seamless.
The fare system will be changed so that commuters do not have to pay when making transfers. They will be charged just for the total distance travelled.
They will get a new season pass for use on all trains and buses, regardless of operator.
And the wait for the connection will be shorter. Buses will be given more priority on the roads later this year.
Some commuters, in welcoming the changes, say they are overdue.
Tampines GRC MP and deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport Ong Kian Min expects complaints from commuters whose routes get re-drawn by the Land Transport Authority, but thinks they should not sidetrack people from the overall good the changes bring.
'I hope the minister will have the political will and the support from the people to see this through,' said Mr Ong.
It is not clear yet if bidding for the bus routes will eventually push fares up or down. Mr Lim said new gains by operators as a result of opening the market to competition could be reflected in the formula that caps fare rises.
The two bus operators were optimistic about their prospects when the bus routes are carved up for bidders.
SBS Transit, which has a bigger share, saw the share price of its parent ComfortDelGro fall five cents to $1.61, while its own stayed unchanged at $2.83. SMRT's rose one cent to $1.73.
All eyes are now on the coming announcements. Mr Lim said there will be a need to reduce the vehicle growth rate and raise Electronic Road Pricing charges.
Motorists and aspiring car owners can do their sums then, on whether it makes sense to make their other car the bus or the MRT.
chinlian@sph.com.sg
Govt to control planning of routes, bus market to be open to competition
By Goh Chin Lian
BUS travel here will undergo an overhaul to give commuters a faster, smoother and more pleasant ride.
This will happen in two stages over the next few years. First, the Government will take back control of the planning of routes from the two public transport companies.
The aim: to find the fastest and best route for commuters by bus and MRT - not how to make more money.
Then, it will open up the bus market to more competition. The idea is that contest could lead to better ways of doing things, and maybe, even lower costs.
More immediately, transfers will become easier and cheaper, and commuters will get more information on the go, to plan how best to make their journey.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim gave the details yesterday in the first of three key policy speeches he will make this month on how travel by bus, rail and car will change.
This shake-up of the land transport landscape foresees that by 2020, 14.3 million journeys will be made every day on this small island, up from 8.9 million now.
The future will be gridlock and pollution if many more people take to cars, he said.
The thing to do now is to move more people to public transport: Mr Lim's target is 70 per cent for all journeys in the morning peak by 2020, up from 63 per cent now.
But what will it take, he asked, for the majority to choose the bus or MRT over the car?
His ministry's solution for buses combines radical strokes with fine tweaking.
It is the fruit of a year-long study to take stock of a 1996 road-map on land transport and lay out a new one, good for the next 10 to 15 years.
The planners turned to consultants who assessed what worked for such cities as London, Hong Kong and Melbourne, and sought public views.
The 'new philosophy', as Mr Lim calls it, is to plan transport through the eyes of the commuter - from the time he thinks about making his journey to the time he reaches his destination.
'Our land transport system must be planned and built for people, not vehicles,' he said.
'Can people get to a train station or bus stop quickly and comfortably? Are the connections good? How long is the total journey time and waiting time between transfers? How crowded are the buses and trains? Can people get timely and user-friendly travel information?'
The Government will consider such concerns when it plans the bus routes and opens them up to the best bidder to run them, possibly as early as 2010.
It will specify standards for what commuters, in a 2007 official poll released yesterday, see as still lacking in the current system - less overcrowding, shorter waiting times.
If the consultants are right, the market has room for a few more bus operators.
These major changes aside, the planners are also tweaking the system to make transfers seamless.
The fare system will be changed so that commuters do not have to pay when making transfers. They will be charged just for the total distance travelled.
They will get a new season pass for use on all trains and buses, regardless of operator.
And the wait for the connection will be shorter. Buses will be given more priority on the roads later this year.
Some commuters, in welcoming the changes, say they are overdue.
Tampines GRC MP and deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport Ong Kian Min expects complaints from commuters whose routes get re-drawn by the Land Transport Authority, but thinks they should not sidetrack people from the overall good the changes bring.
'I hope the minister will have the political will and the support from the people to see this through,' said Mr Ong.
It is not clear yet if bidding for the bus routes will eventually push fares up or down. Mr Lim said new gains by operators as a result of opening the market to competition could be reflected in the formula that caps fare rises.
The two bus operators were optimistic about their prospects when the bus routes are carved up for bidders.
SBS Transit, which has a bigger share, saw the share price of its parent ComfortDelGro fall five cents to $1.61, while its own stayed unchanged at $2.83. SMRT's rose one cent to $1.73.
All eyes are now on the coming announcements. Mr Lim said there will be a need to reduce the vehicle growth rate and raise Electronic Road Pricing charges.
Motorists and aspiring car owners can do their sums then, on whether it makes sense to make their other car the bus or the MRT.
chinlian@sph.com.sg
Medishield
Jan 19, 2008
There are difficulties in making MediShield compulsory for all: Khaw
By Jaime Ee
Mr Khaw Boon Wan said there will always be a small group who will refuse to be insured because they do not think they need it. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there are practical difficulties in making the national health insurance scheme MediShield compulsory for all.
There will always be a small group who will refuse to be insured because they think they don't need it, he said.
As it is, he said the opt-out scheme has been 'quite effective'. Among working adults, more than 90 per cent are already insured.
'For a national system, once you have more than 90 per cent, we are home.'
Mr Khaw was responding to Madam Halimah Yacob's suggestion to cover people beyond the age of 85 and to make the MediShield scheme compulsory, as means testing could hurt those uninsured even harder due to higher out-of-pocket payments.
Changing the level of subsidy for the middle income group is not something that should be done in isolation, Madam Halimah, the head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said in her keynote speech at the 2nd International Conference of the Asia-Pacific Society for Healthcare Quality on Thursday.
Mr Khaw, in illustrating the difficulties of implementing a compulsory scheme, cited examples from Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which has mandatory national health insurance
There are difficulties in making MediShield compulsory for all: Khaw
By Jaime Ee
Mr Khaw Boon Wan said there will always be a small group who will refuse to be insured because they do not think they need it. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
HEALTH Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there are practical difficulties in making the national health insurance scheme MediShield compulsory for all.
There will always be a small group who will refuse to be insured because they think they don't need it, he said.
As it is, he said the opt-out scheme has been 'quite effective'. Among working adults, more than 90 per cent are already insured.
'For a national system, once you have more than 90 per cent, we are home.'
Mr Khaw was responding to Madam Halimah Yacob's suggestion to cover people beyond the age of 85 and to make the MediShield scheme compulsory, as means testing could hurt those uninsured even harder due to higher out-of-pocket payments.
Changing the level of subsidy for the middle income group is not something that should be done in isolation, Madam Halimah, the head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said in her keynote speech at the 2nd International Conference of the Asia-Pacific Society for Healthcare Quality on Thursday.
Mr Khaw, in illustrating the difficulties of implementing a compulsory scheme, cited examples from Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which has mandatory national health insurance
Why this commuter gave up on buses and MRT
Jan 18, 2008
Why this commuter gives up on buses and MRT
By Tania Tan
Jeanne Conceicao stated 'too many decision points' as her reason for giving up on public transport. Her example was cited by Transport Minister Raymond Lim for the need to improve the local bus system. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
WHAT would it take to convince a commuter such as Ms Jeanne Conceicao, who is learning how to drive, to give up the idea of buying a car and rely on public transport?
That is the challenge facing transport planners, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Friday.
He highlighted how, fed-up with the uncertainty and inconvenience she experienced in daily commute, that she gave up on buses and train and opted to travel by taxi to work, and would be buying a car.
Relating her travel woes, the minister said at the launch of the land transport gallery on Friday: 'Taking the bus or MRT was just too wearying.'
'Too many decision points, she said. She had to take a feeder bus to the MRT station, hop on the North-South line, then transfer onto the East-West Line, and then hop onto another feeder bus that took her to Heng Mui Keng Terrace where she worked.'
'The uncertainty of the journey time - how long it would take for the feeder bus to arrive; whether taking the MRT to Raffles Place or Jurong East interchange to transfer would be faster - it took too much out of her.In the end, she decided to take a taxi, and would be buying a car.'
VIDEO
Making the bus, train my 'other car'
(4:21)
Why open up bus industry?
(0:54)
'This really drives home the point that we need to improve the connectivity of our hub-and-spoke system, in particular the integration between the feeders, trunk buses and the MRT.
Only then can we ensure seamless transfers and make the whole public transport journey as convenient as possible.'
Ms Conceicao, 42, who was a member of a focus group discussions on public transport, and now works as a real estate agent, told The Straits Times on Friday: 'I was just sick of all the travelling time.'
Her daily commute from home to the Institute of Policy Studies where she was a research fellow, took one hour and 40 minutes - which started with a half-hour journey from her home in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to the MRT station.
She then hopped on to the MRT train at Buona Vista station and then caught a bus to her office.
The biggest hassle was boarding a feeder bus, as it was often packed. 'I'm not even asking for seat, just to get on the bus,' she rued. She soon abandoned buses and trains, in favour of taxis to and from work - which cost her over $600 monthly.
'I might be complaining too much, but I just wanted to arrive at work in a good mood,' she said.
Why this commuter gives up on buses and MRT
By Tania Tan
Jeanne Conceicao stated 'too many decision points' as her reason for giving up on public transport. Her example was cited by Transport Minister Raymond Lim for the need to improve the local bus system. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
WHAT would it take to convince a commuter such as Ms Jeanne Conceicao, who is learning how to drive, to give up the idea of buying a car and rely on public transport?
That is the challenge facing transport planners, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Friday.
He highlighted how, fed-up with the uncertainty and inconvenience she experienced in daily commute, that she gave up on buses and train and opted to travel by taxi to work, and would be buying a car.
Relating her travel woes, the minister said at the launch of the land transport gallery on Friday: 'Taking the bus or MRT was just too wearying.'
'Too many decision points, she said. She had to take a feeder bus to the MRT station, hop on the North-South line, then transfer onto the East-West Line, and then hop onto another feeder bus that took her to Heng Mui Keng Terrace where she worked.'
'The uncertainty of the journey time - how long it would take for the feeder bus to arrive; whether taking the MRT to Raffles Place or Jurong East interchange to transfer would be faster - it took too much out of her.In the end, she decided to take a taxi, and would be buying a car.'
VIDEO
Making the bus, train my 'other car'
(4:21)
Why open up bus industry?
(0:54)
'This really drives home the point that we need to improve the connectivity of our hub-and-spoke system, in particular the integration between the feeders, trunk buses and the MRT.
Only then can we ensure seamless transfers and make the whole public transport journey as convenient as possible.'
Ms Conceicao, 42, who was a member of a focus group discussions on public transport, and now works as a real estate agent, told The Straits Times on Friday: 'I was just sick of all the travelling time.'
Her daily commute from home to the Institute of Policy Studies where she was a research fellow, took one hour and 40 minutes - which started with a half-hour journey from her home in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to the MRT station.
She then hopped on to the MRT train at Buona Vista station and then caught a bus to her office.
The biggest hassle was boarding a feeder bus, as it was often packed. 'I'm not even asking for seat, just to get on the bus,' she rued. She soon abandoned buses and trains, in favour of taxis to and from work - which cost her over $600 monthly.
'I might be complaining too much, but I just wanted to arrive at work in a good mood,' she said.
Jan 16, 2008
Sharp rise in car numbers as fewer taken off roads
9% increase last year may lead to fewer COEs being released this year
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
THE number of cars on Singapore roads grew by a record 9 per cent last year to almost 515,000, despite Government efforts to manage growth at a far slower pace.
The increase was three times the rate prescribed by the country's COE system.
While new car sales fell by almost 9 per cent, far fewer vehicles were either scrapped or exported, leading to the record increase, the latest figures from the Land Transport Authority showed.
Just over 64,000 cars were taken off the road last year, 23 per cent fewer than in 2006.
'I would say scrapping was overdone in 2005 and 2006,' said Mr Neo Nam Heng, president of the Automotive Importers and Exporters Association.
'Today, 80 per cent of our cars are below four years old.'
DELAYED EFFECT
'I would say scrapping was overdone in 2005 and 2006.'
MR NEO NAM HENG, president of the Automotive Importers and Exporters Association
RELATED LINKS
How the numbers stack up
Last year's unusually high growth in the number of cars on the road is expected to have a profound impact on future supplies of COEs. As a result, the car industry is bracing itself for a contraction.
Mr Glenn Tan, chief executive of Subaru agent MotorImage, said: 'This year will be a tough year for the motoring industry.'
Mr Mark Choong, managing director of Toyota distributor Borneo Motors, said the supply of COEs in the last couple of years was bolstered by extra certificates the Government released with the introduction of electronic road- pricing in 1998.
'Going forward, I don't think there will be anymore of these extra COEs,' he said.
Mr Neo added that the April COE offering would include '60,000 or fewer' certificates set aside to replace vehicles expected to be scrapped or exported this year. Last year, that number reached 86,000.
In a shrunken market, motor traders expect several changes, including:
smaller and cheaper cars will lose market share, as budget buyers are edged out;
likewise, off-peak cars - low-tax cars with restricted periods of usage - will lose some shine. Their fixed tax rebate of $17,000 will become smaller in relation to the price of a car; and big cars will continue to grow in popularity.
There is however a silver lining in the cloudy forecast.
Mr Eddie Loo, managing director of used car trader and importer Car Times, said: 'I think the demand for used cars will rise.'
The used car market has been in the doldrums in recent years because of falling new car prices.
christan@sph.com.sg
Sharp rise in car numbers as fewer taken off roads
9% increase last year may lead to fewer COEs being released this year
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
THE number of cars on Singapore roads grew by a record 9 per cent last year to almost 515,000, despite Government efforts to manage growth at a far slower pace.
The increase was three times the rate prescribed by the country's COE system.
While new car sales fell by almost 9 per cent, far fewer vehicles were either scrapped or exported, leading to the record increase, the latest figures from the Land Transport Authority showed.
Just over 64,000 cars were taken off the road last year, 23 per cent fewer than in 2006.
'I would say scrapping was overdone in 2005 and 2006,' said Mr Neo Nam Heng, president of the Automotive Importers and Exporters Association.
'Today, 80 per cent of our cars are below four years old.'
DELAYED EFFECT
'I would say scrapping was overdone in 2005 and 2006.'
MR NEO NAM HENG, president of the Automotive Importers and Exporters Association
RELATED LINKS
How the numbers stack up
Last year's unusually high growth in the number of cars on the road is expected to have a profound impact on future supplies of COEs. As a result, the car industry is bracing itself for a contraction.
Mr Glenn Tan, chief executive of Subaru agent MotorImage, said: 'This year will be a tough year for the motoring industry.'
Mr Mark Choong, managing director of Toyota distributor Borneo Motors, said the supply of COEs in the last couple of years was bolstered by extra certificates the Government released with the introduction of electronic road- pricing in 1998.
'Going forward, I don't think there will be anymore of these extra COEs,' he said.
Mr Neo added that the April COE offering would include '60,000 or fewer' certificates set aside to replace vehicles expected to be scrapped or exported this year. Last year, that number reached 86,000.
In a shrunken market, motor traders expect several changes, including:
smaller and cheaper cars will lose market share, as budget buyers are edged out;
likewise, off-peak cars - low-tax cars with restricted periods of usage - will lose some shine. Their fixed tax rebate of $17,000 will become smaller in relation to the price of a car; and big cars will continue to grow in popularity.
There is however a silver lining in the cloudy forecast.
Mr Eddie Loo, managing director of used car trader and importer Car Times, said: 'I think the demand for used cars will rise.'
The used car market has been in the doldrums in recent years because of falling new car prices.
christan@sph.com.sg
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