A few days ago, I was walking to the bus stop to take a bus to my office. I saw a NS man waiting on the road-side to stop a taxi, but none was available. As he was outside a camp, he must be getting home after the camp training.
I thought that it would be good for the NS man to learn how to take a bus, or a change of bus, to get home. If he took a bus, there would be less demand for taxis - which could be used by elderly people, people with children, or those with a lot of shopping to bring home.
I do not know if the NS man came from a rich family. If not, he could have avoided paying a lot of money for the taxi fare.
Previously, I avoided taking a bus as it was too confusing. Recently, I learned how to take the bus, using a mobile app. It tells me which bus to take, or even a change of bus - what is the fare and how long is the journey - including the waiting time for the bus.
I thought that it would be good for the NS man to learn how to take a bus, or a change of bus, to get home. If he took a bus, there would be less demand for taxis - which could be used by elderly people, people with children, or those with a lot of shopping to bring home.
I do not know if the NS man came from a rich family. If not, he could have avoided paying a lot of money for the taxi fare.
Previously, I avoided taking a bus as it was too confusing. Recently, I learned how to take the bus, using a mobile app. It tells me which bus to take, or even a change of bus - what is the fare and how long is the journey - including the waiting time for the bus.
OK, I confess. When I was in BMT, in Pulau Tekong, I took taxi to and fro (I live in Woodlands and the pick-up point for the transport to the jetty is in Pasir Ris).
ReplyDeleteWhy I took taxi? Because it's fast and I value the time I spend with my family. I took about more than an hour taking bus and/or MRT, traveling from Pasir Ris to my house but it only took me 30 minutes (at most) traveling to and fro from the same locations. That's half the time of what bus/MRT took! (Of course, I didn't take taxi that frequently after BMT because of the close proximity of my house and my camp)
It's already very tiring for servicemen, serving the nation for a puny "allowance", why condemn them further for taking a taxi, so that they can save time spent on traveling and spend more time with family?
@3.39PM,
ReplyDeleteYou remind me a comrade (1976) who had married with a baby before NS enlistment. He always take time off whenever possible and be the first one rush home on Saturday !
I am part of the baby boomers and I ensure my transport $ is well spent. I am ok with bus and never takes taxis as it just down right expensive. I preferred MRT as it is relaxing and can reach your destination faster. My problem with taking buses is the numerous stops it makes e.g. bus stops, traffice Jam, traffic lights, predestrians crossing etc. I can't read or doing anything in the bus as it gives me a spliting headache after each trip. The only thing I do in the bus is to sleep. So, even though taking bus is one of the cheaper alternative, having headache after each trip is the reason I stick to MRT and walk to my destination most of the time.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with buses is positive, but I often take the bus after off peak hours.
ReplyDeleteI am often able to get a seat and to read my iPad on the move. No headache. Previously, I had trouble knowing what bus number to take, but this is now solved with a mobile app called "Gothere".
I find it less convenient to take MRT because it is too crowded.
Taxis, no doubt offers a speedy ride, is just not worth it.
ReplyDeleteIf we take a bus or train or both to get to our destination, its cheaper and much more pleasant. If you are late, you are late! Nothing more said.
Taxi drivers are arrogant and choosy.
I refuse to take taxis.
I personally try to avoid taking public transport because I'm well aware of how uncomfortable my body odour and my huge backpack is to other commuters. Nothing beats seating beside an army personnel with a bag full of "fragrance".
ReplyDeleteBus in Spore is for those who have plenty of time. Mr Tan's experience with bus is not the same as many people who only have one choice, i.e. no MRT is available and cannot afford taxi.
ReplyDeleteBus captains tend to stop at every bus stop even there is no need doing so and drag on the road with slow speed to avoid being penalised for arriving terminal early. Waiting time for bus is also unreliable and can be 20 mins or more.
If we work out the time we save by taking taxi and it's worth the money, taking taxi is no brainer except that taxi is getting too expensive now.
I think taking taxis is like eating cookies. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, don't buy it. Regardless the cost of taking taxis, commuters have the choice to take or not to take. If they deem that it is worth their money due to time spend on travelling, comfort [air cond] & no need to share space, then take it & not complaint about the cost [negative feedback]. For those who deem it is necessary to take due mobililty, ferrying children to parents'place or school or whatever reasons, then take it. If it is too expensive and still necessary to take taxi, then cost cutting is needed in the home budget because taking taxi has higher priority then other things in the home budget. One just cannot insist on taking taxis and at the same time complaint it is too expensive and don't have enough money to pay for it. There are always alternatives and insisting taxis fares to kept low regardless of inflation and drivers' livelihood is absolutely not correct. I think we should turn the page on taxi as there is no perfect solution. If you have the money and want it then by all means take taxis whenever you like. If not, look for alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI know that it can be uncomfortable to take a crowded bus during peak hours. But, during the off peak hours, they are quite comfortable, more so than in a MRT train.
ReplyDeleteTaxis have become quite expensive in Singapore, so it is better for people to learn to take other public transport as an alternative.
I am not suggesting that taxis be abandoned altogether (as there are times that they may be necessary), but I believe that they should be taken less, by fit NS men and the like.
I look at the app "gothere" on my iPad and found that there are many occasions when taking bus (including a change of bus) is faster and cheaper than taking a bus and train.
ReplyDeleteMost people take the train because they are familiar with the train lines, but they should explore the bus as an alternative.
I am also talking of personal experience. To get to SMU from my home, I automatically think of taking a bus to the MRT station and take a train from there. There is actually a direct bus that is faster and more comfortable for me, from my home to SMU.
I recently found out that it is more convenient to take a bus from my office to SMU, rather than to take a bus and change to a train.
I made an observation, "it would be good for the NS men to learn to take a bus". I did not imply that this applies all the time, or that the NS man should not take a taxi.
ReplyDeleteI do know that many people take a taxi because they are not familiar with public transport. I used to be in that situation myself.
A few people share my view and understood my intent.
A few others challenged my view. Why is it necessary to challenge this observation? Or to be defensive and justify the use of the taxi by the unnamed NS man?
@5:43 pm. It is true that travelling time is longer in recent times, due to traffic congestion, road works and other reasons. Even driving and taxis take longer than before.
ReplyDeleteWe now have to allow more time for travel and leave home earlier.
I find that driving a car is probably the worse choice, as it is costly to park and finding a parking space is also time consuming. This is why I try to get public transport, and allow more time for the travel.
Taking taxi is not about money, it's about time.
ReplyDeleteIf money is not an issue, choosing between transport service comes down to convenience.
SAF should ban personnel in uniform to take a cab. They are fit, and they should take public transport. Even if the camp is a few km away from the nearest bus stop, they should run or march.
ReplyDeleteAlso, SAF should ban personnel in uniform to take a seat in the public transport. It gives the public and tourists a very bad image that they are not disciplined and not fit to serve the citizens.