Voodoo Vince

School bus fares to go up by $5 to $10 from January
By Jane Ng & Tiffany Ong


While the association has recommended that its members increase fares by not more than $10 a month, it has no say over fares charged by bus operators not under its association. -- PHOTO: ST

SCHOOL bus fares will go up by at least $5 to $10 in January, sparked by the increase in diesel prices in recent months.

The Singapore School Transport Association chairman Wong Ann Lin said the last time fares were raised was in January last year.

The association is an industry body that represents 90 per cent of school bus operators here. It has about 1,000 members and a fleet of 2,000 buses.

Mr Wong said a survey commissioned by the association two years ago showed that the average annual gross income of the operators was $20,802 in 2005 - less than their average expenditure of $30,590.

He said the expected fare hike will still not be able to cover the rising costs faced by the operators.

While the association has recommended that its members increase fares by not more than $10 a month, it has no say over fares charged by bus operators not under its association.

One of them is Mr Ng Ang Heng, 50, who fetches pupils from Bukit Timah Primary. He said he will raise bus fares by $15 to $30 next month but added that even that will not cover his cost.

He has to make up by ferrying workers. Parents expectations have increased over the years, he explained.

'Even though the Land Transport Authority guideline says three children to two seats, parents want one child per seat. That limits the number of children I can fetch,' he said.

Parents who live in condos also want their children to be dropped off at their door step, making it impossible to use bigger buses to ferry children, said Mr Ng.

Parents say they have no choice but pay the higher fares.

Mr Foo Suan Keng, 46, a senior commercial officer in a shipyard, has three children who take the school bus every day. He is now paying $45 per child for a two-way trip and this will be raised to $70 next month.

Mr Foo, who is unhappy with the $25 fare hike, said he is exploring other transport arrangements for his children, like a carpool with his neighbours.

'A lot of my neighbours are considering taking their children out of school transport after this year, because they think the fare is ridiculous. Some parents have even considered transferring their children to a school that is closer to their homes,' he said.


http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_185709.html

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People don't plan to fail... They fail to plan.

sky1234

Very soon, it buses and MRT turn again. Saying the same thing.

wcong

wah. thanks for posting this man...
when i was P1 (9yrs back..), the school bus fare is like $35 a mth..
now gonna be around $70?!
O.o

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Voodoo Vince

The cycle repeats itself. Soon all will raise prices like food, education fees, cars, everything.

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People don't plan to fail... They fail to plan.

Baby_Nutz

THE recent fee increase announced by the Singapore School Transport Association was just a guideline for both bus operators and parents and not meant to be applied across the board.
School bus operators can decide how much to charge but if parents find that the fare increase is way above the recommended rate of $5 to $10, they can file a complaint with the association, said its chairman Wong Ann Lin, 60.

One parent had complained to the association - which represents 90 per cent of the 900 bus operators here - about one operator who wanted to increase his fares by $30 to a new fare of $70 a month.

Mr Wong said: 'I met with him and told him the problem laid with him - why did he charge $40 in the first place? As a parent, if the fares are suddenly increased by so much, of course I won't be happy.'

Eventually, he said, the bus operator settled on a $10 to $15 increase.

Mr Wong also explained why school bus fares should go up next year. 'With diesel prices rising, bus operators were asking us if they could raise fares and by how much, to cover their operating costs.'

Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday Times.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_187160.html

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Weiwei

we should emigrate liao....zzz

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rudeboyfiz

haiyah.. now no more cheap2..

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AppleElfyz

might as well just join the crowd in those SBS transit bus, and better still buy the concession passes... it will become either the same price as those school bus or even cheaper ^^

teriyaki

LOL!
if ur distant is further den die...
i rem de sch bus i took is $100+ a mth-_-
cuz my sch andhouse is far apart~~~~~ so damn expensive can.

B I G B A N G fanclub-
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Vote for big bang at MAA


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skyyy23

Well everything goes up but the service still so lousy
Mrt and Bus timing getting slower and longer.
The Taxi also go up
I think get a horse better more environment friendly then the shit can use for natural fertilizer and die liao got free horse meat to eat. HAHA

ミキ☆

last time my one $55 only

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I want Freya!

AC Schnitzer

Out of the entire article this portion intrigues me the most,

"Parents say they have no choice but pay the higher fares."

The message can't get any clearer.

wishlist

everything also price up one lar..

Huaikong

my primary school time was only $15...the increment really shocking!

fathernature

my last time was $45

Wintermaul

I think my time which was like 15++ years back was so much cheaper? It was maybe like between $15 to $20? The inflation r