Coins or No Coins

I was rushing to catch a shuttle bus this morning. A woman behind me seem in a hurry, so I let her board the bus first as I was still trying to get my coins ready for the bus fare. On boarding the bus, the woman started digging for coins from her bag, leaving me no choice but to queue behind her as I could not drop my coins in the box with her blocking.

The driver signaled me to bypass the lady, so I got to the side to drop the coins, but because of the awkward position, dropped my coins on the floor. Both of us—the woman and I—ended up apologizing for the delay to all the people behind us who were waiting to board. I then picked up my coins and dropped them into the box while the woman continued to dig.

This is kind of people we encounter every day, people who cannot wait to be first and have no regard for the interest of others. But as for me, I live by a code of conduct following the biblical verse that states:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 NAS)

Here’s a penny for your thoughts. When you are not ready, will you wait and not rush to get ahead of others?

Fare Heights

Ever since the public transport fare height from July 3, my usual once a week $20 top-up of EZlink has doubled.

The so-called travel fare by distance is a way to increase fare by justifying that more people are benefiting from lower fare if they transfer between different types of public transportation. This, in my humble opinion, is a rather stupid idea for many because it means more time wasted, and Time is Money!

I, for one, travel a straight route via the MRT train to and from work. This essentially means zero benefit and increased expense for me. Just some months ago, JTC also did a 'fare adjustment' to their shuttle bus service to my workplace at IBP from the Jurong East MRT station. The adjustment doubled the fare price. All in, my transport expense per month has increased exponentially. During these times when many corporations are still cutting cost and slashing or freezing employees' pay, it appears transport fare heights are simply inappropriate, yet it is happening all the time.

Over the last several days, the radio stations have brought this topic up for discussion. I see no point in this, however, because it is already a done deal and nothing is going to change. This is what people in Singapore know for a long time, for this is our country and this is our land, where things get done first before consent, so no one can later amend.

Price Up by 100% for IBP Shuttle Service

JTC announced to the IBP community yesterday that the fare for their shuttle transport to and from Jurong East will be increased from the current 20 cents per one-way trip to 40 cents.

This means people like me who rely on the shuttle service regularly will have to face a permanent income cut, while businesses at Jurong East, especially the food courts and coffee shops, will also be indirectly affected. Currently, many workers at IBP take the shuttle service to and from Jurong East to go for lunch which fare is 40 cents per round trip per person. Come December 1, this will mean an increase of 100 per cent of the cost at 80 cents per person.

Looks like I'll have to consider walking to office from Jurong East MRT station in the future, and will certainly cut down my frequency of having lunch at Jurong East!

So much for boosting the economic downturn and cutting cost!