Give subsidy to shared bike operators

My recent poll indicates that most people expect most bike sharing operators to cease the operations within one year.

I agree with the finding.

Recently, a big operator Ofo increased their charges. An average ride will cost $2.50.

I do not see many people keen to use their bikes with these charges.

Under the integrated fare structure for public transport, the commuter can take a bus, which will add only a small amount to the integrated fare, maybe $0.10 on average. Why would they take a costly shared bike?

The weather is hot and humid in the day. It is uncomfortable to ride a bike.

Instead of adding to the cost of the bike sharing operation, by imposing a licence fee, the authority should subsidize the bike operation by giving a grant for each bike.

This will reduce the cost of using a shared bike to, say $0.20. It should be treated as part of the integrated public transport system.

It is quite common to see regulations that make businesses non viable. These regulations are written by people who are not in touch with the ground.

WOTC - Competition in electricity supply

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is it good to have competition in the electricity supply market?

Here are the responses: (30 Votes)

60 % - The electricity should be provided by a public agency with full transparency and accountability.
20 % - It will help to bring down prices.
10 % - The competition will add marketing cost and other administrative expenses and will eventually increase cost.
10 % - The cost of electricity should be regulated, based on the actual cost of supply.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=923

Special zone for young people

Mr. Tan
I believe that rental is killing all. Instead of providing for the workers, monies was contributed to the landlord. In turn, a part of it will be contributed as tax.

should the government create a special zone for young people to venture into business where the rental is cheaper? Where it could be a buffer for them to reduce the rental and increase on income of workers?

REPLY
Yes. This is a good idea.
Dr. Goh Keng Swee used the same strategy to bring industrialization to Singapore. He provided special incentives for selected factories.

China also developed special economic zones. See the progress made by China today.

Lopsided fare structure for public transport

In the last financial year, Comfort Delgro made a profit on the bus operations but a loss on the rail operation.

This is caused by the flawed fare structure adopted in Singapore.

If a commuter takes a journey of 15 km, of which 1 km is by feeder bus to the station and the 14 km is by MRT, the total fare will be $1.41 of which the bus will take $0.77 and the MRT will take $0.64.

I guess that 65% of public transport users take a bus to change to the MRT. The bus take a larger share of the total fare, in spite of travelling a much shorter distance.

Which should our fare structure be so lopsided?

If the fare is reduced for short distance, the distribution will be fairer between the different operators that take the passenger on the entire journey.

Eventually, all the fares will be collected by own party, i.e. the govt, so this will not matter. But in the meantime, we have a lopsided fare structure.

Why liddat?

WOTC - Express and normal streams

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is it good to place students in different express and normal streams?

Here are the responses: (24 Votes)

58 % - It creates a stigma for students at the non-express streams.
21 % - It is better to give the students an option to study non-academic subjects
17 % - It allows them to learn at their suitable pace.
4 % - It is better to ask the weak student to stay back one year.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=922

WOTC - Is PSLE a good feature of our education system?

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is the PSLE exam a good feature of our education system?

Here are the responses: (27 Votes)

44 % - It adds stress to the students and encourages a competitive and selfish behavior.
22 % - It gives children from wealthy families a big advantage as they can afford private tuition.
19 % - It encourages students to study hard and get good results.
15 % - It is a fair way to send students to good secondary schools.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=921

WOTC - Digital display of next stop

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Should the bus have a digital display of the next stop

Here are the responses: (27 Votes)

85 % - This is useful and can be installed at low cost.
11 % - Most buses in other cities already have this display.
4 % - This is not necessary.
0 % - The commuter can use Google Map to track the progress of the bus

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=920

WOTC - A degree in a private university

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Should weak students pursue a degree in a private university?

Here are the responses: (28 Votes)

43 % - They can pursue a degree after establishing a career
36 % - A university education is important for the future.
11 % - They should start work earlier and get experience.
11 % - They should not waste time and pursue in getting a degree that is not related to their work.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=919a

Improve service and operations of KTM

I sent this email to the minister for transport of Malaysia. Do you think I will get a reply?

Mr. Anthony Loke
Minister of Transport
Malaysia

Dear Minister,

I wish to give a few suggestions to improve the service and operations of KTM.

I am a Singaporean and have traveled on KTM a few times.
I prefer to travel by train, rather than bus, from town to town in Malaysia.
I was disappointed to find that the trains are infrequent, have low occupancy and cost more than express bus.
This should not be the case.

I suggest the following:
a) Increase the frequency of the train service, say every hour.
b) Reduce the fare to be comparable to express bus
c) Introduce some express service that skips the small towns.

The aim should be to encourage more people to travel by train, rather than express bus. This is the case in most cities around the world.

I also like to suggest a simple improvement to the KTM website.
It is difficult to pick the origin and destination.
The user has to select the state and then the town.
It is better to allow to user to type, e.g. Penang or Kuala Lumpur and for the town to appear.
Many websites have this kind of search function.

The user also has to pick the time slot, e.g. 6 am to 12 noon.
It is quite frustrating to get the remark "No Service Available"
You should remove this time slot and show all the services available for the day.
There are usually not many entries, maybe 18 at the most.
This will help the user to plan the journey.

I hope that you find these suggestions useful.
I wish you all the best in your challenging work.

Tan Kin Lian

LRT to link Singapore and Johor Bahru

Dear Tan,
I have seen you mention about the jam on the causeway. I was wondering if we could build a monorail or LRT system above the causeway which could ferry the passengers to and fro Malaysia and Singapore to replace the buses.

Such a system would be cheaper than the MRT line. Both countries will need to connect their MRT to their ICQ building to disperse the crowd . People who use it regularly could buy a monthly concession ticket. ICA could also scan their passport prior to enter the LRT. Foreigner who brought the concession will have all the relevant information stored in concession ticket to reduce the time to process the relevant travel documents.

REPLY
They are building the new RTS (rapid transit link) between Woodlands North Station and Chagar Station (JB). It is a LRT and will be ready by 2024.

In the meantime, commuters can use the KTM Trebau Express to travel from Woodlands to JB Sentral. They have joint checkpoint clearance. The total time to reach JB is 10 mins, including the checkpoints.

The Malaysian govt wants to increase the frequency, but the Singapore govt has not given a reply.

In my view, the frequency and capacity can and should be increased 4 times.

Family subscriptions

I am familiar with three websites that offer a family subscription:

a) Netflix - movies
b) Spotify - music
c) SPH - news

Spotify has a good way to manage the authorised users. Netflix and SPH has an inferiour way.

Spotify allows the subscriber to register the email address of up to four authorized users. Each user enters his own email address and password. The user can also use Facebook to login.

The Netflix and SPH websites register only the subscriber email and password. The subscriber has to share the credentials with the authorized users. To retain privacy, the subscriber has to create a new password for the account, instead of use the regular password.

Spotify wins.

Do I like Grab?

Do I like Grab?

I stopped using Grab in Singapore for some time now. I prefer to use public transport.

I only use Grab for my trip to the airport in the early morning when there is no public transport.

If I am traveling light, I will now take the bus to and from the airport. It takes 1 hour but I can leave home earlier or arrive home later.

When I was in Malaysia, I found Grab to be very good. They arrive within 2 mins and the fares are quite low. They provide a much better service than taxis. I hope that the taxi drivers can join GrabTaxi or JustGrab to protect their livelihood.

So, it is Grab for me in Malaysia but only rarely in Singapore.

Moles

What is a mole?

1) Moles are very common, and most people have one or more. Moles are concentrations of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) in your skin. People with light skin tend to have more moles.

2) In espionage jargon, a mole (also called a "penetration agent", "deep cover agent", or "sleeper agent") is a long-term spy (espionage agent) who is recruited before having access to secret intelligence, subsequently managing to get into the target organization.

There are a few moles in my website. They comment often with the aim of undermining my views.

Sometimes they quote correct statistics to show a different perspective to my view. At other times, they quote bogus statistics to confuse my readers.

These moles usually do not have a proper photo of their identity.

Different Grab services

There are four Grab services:

a) JustGrab - you get a car or taxi
b) GrabTaxi - you get a taxi only
c) GrabCar - you get a car - not taxi.
d) GrabShare - you get a car or taxi and share with other passengers

The cheapest fare is GrabShare, followed by GrabCar, followed by JustGrab and the most expensive is GrabTaxi.

For people who prefer a taxi, just call GrabTaxi. It is more convenient than calling a taxi on the road. However, I suspect that not many taxi drivers are on this platform. This may change.

My preference is JustGrab. I have taken many Grab trips with non taxis. Generally, they are quite safe.

I have taken GrabShare before, but I don't like the detour. But maybe, I will try it again.

In case of accident, I have a personal accident policy that pays $1 million on death. It cost me about $600 a year.

Are things actually all right in Singapore?

Sometimes I wonder if things are actually all right in Singapore, except that detractors (including me), exaggerate the negative aspects.

If we continue to trust the PAP government, can we look towards a better future? Let them find the answers for us, as they are well paid to do this work. They are probably the most qualified talents available in Singapore.

However, there is another part of my brain that says that the problems are really serious and that the PAP government is the underlying cause of this situation.

The challenges faced by the people in Singapore are quite similar to those faced in other countries.

The neo-liberal philosophy that has guided economic policies in the free world for three decades have produced serious inequality. This is very bad in US, Singapore and a few third world countries, but not so bad in Europe, Australia and other countries.

Singapore is therefore not unique in having the problem of inequality, but we are probably an extreme case.

The next question is - can we trust the PAP leaders to recognize the flaw and to put in corrective measures?

My frank view is - NO. There is something seriously wrong with the whole process of governance in Singapore. Here are the flaws:

a) We have a "sleeping" parliament
b) We are run by elites who think that they know all the answers.
c) Our elections are not fair and not free.
d) Many govt policies are half baked, because they come from an over-powerful leader.

I may be biased and pessimistic in my view on this matter. But normally, I am an optimistic person.

What is the solution? There are two options:

a) For the people to change the government
b) For the PAP to realize that they should listen to the people and involve them in the major policy decisions. For example, they can adopt the referendum system to decide on major policies.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - PSLE

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is the PSLE exam a good feature of our education system?

Here are the responses: (27 Votes)

44 % - It adds stress to the students and encourages a competitive and selfish behavior.
22 % - It gives children from wealthy families a big advantage as they can afford private tuition.
19 % - It encourages students to study hard and get good results.
15 % - It is a fair way to send students to good secondary schools.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=921

WOTC - Digital display in bus

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Should the bus have a digital display of the next stop

Here are the responses: (27 Votes)

85 % - This is useful and can be installed at low cost.
11 % - Most buses in other cities already have this display.
4 % - This is not necessary.
0 % - The commuter can use Google Map to track the progress of the bus

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=920

Be careful about design specification of infrastructure projects

I have held this view.

A major source of high infrastructure spending is design specification.

If the specification is excessive, it will certainly lead to high cost, even with a competitive tender system.

Some consultants recommend design specification to favor certain parties.

This is also the experience found by the new finance minister of Malaysia.

Quote
It's smarter spending not austerity, argues Malaysian finance minister

The Malaysian government is not in austerity mode and will spend where necessary, said finance minister Lim Guan Eng. “We are also more selective in making public investments,” he added.

Mr Lim revealed that the government has cut back on the LRT3 (third Light Rail Transit) project by reducing the cost by 47 per cent (RM31.65 billion to RM16.63 billion) by changing the design specifications and shaved off RM5.22 (S$1.74 billion) off the MRT2 (Mass Rapid Transit line two) cost by rationalising the above ground portion of the project.
Unquote

Cancellation of Lucky Draw for Mercedes - full refund

Dear Friends,

By now, it is likely that you have read at least one unflattering news article about us. For reasons we can only speculate on, the mainstream media have tried to make us sound like cowboys who are in trouble with the authorities.

The reality, however, is quite different.

We started The GIVEN Company to make charitable giving a win-win for everyone: for our partner charities, for socially responsible corporates, and for you, the generous, kind-hearted members of public. Our goal is not to ‘bait’ or ‘bribe’ people into giving to charity, as some of our critics have suggested, but rather to provide a nudge for those who currently don’t give and positive reinforcement for those who already do.

By utilising the existing lucky draw / donation draw framework and combining it with the technological advantages of an online platform, our goal is simply to provide the most effective, efficient and sustainable fundraising platform available to all charities, large and small.

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We consulted with over 30 registered charities, as well as relevant government agencies, before our official launch to ensure our compliance with legislation and discuss our plans.

Obviously, we didn’t expect any of these organisations to officially endorse a potentially disruptive startup trying something new, any more than we would expect the Land Transport Authority to endorse Grab or Uber.

And while many whom we met were understandably cautious, almost everyone we spoke to agreed that our platform would help solve a pressing need for the charity sector and believed in its potential for good. All we had to do was prove it. That is why we decided to fund this project ourselves and take the entrepreneurial plunge.

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While we expected and were prepared for detractors, having to address their concerns undoubtedly diverted our resources, delayed our marketing efforts and impacted overall sales. Therefore, having consulted with all our stakeholders, we believe that it would be in the best interests of our partner charities to reschedule the draw for sometime next year, but as it will take time for us to sort out the details (and with less than a month to go before our original draw date), we should first cancel this inaugural draw.

We are reaching out to everyone who has supported our initiative and will fully refund your purchases automatically via credit card (think of it as every ticket winning $20 each!), and you will also get to keep your T-shirts for free. Furthermore, in the spirit of encouraging philanthropy and volunteerism, we will also personally honour your charitable intentions by donating over $13,000 to our partner charities from our own pockets. This reflects all the money that has been raised so far, and it will be split based on which charities each of you voted for.

We apologise for not being able to give away the Mercedes-Benz as planned and any disappointment this may cause. As a fundraising platform, we strive to always put the interests of the charities and their beneficiaries first, ahead of ourselves.

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Thank you once more for supporting our budding social enterprise. I would like to reiterate that this is by no means the end of The GIVEN Company; we will work to bring our first draw back online as quickly as possible, and have already been approached by a number of other charities to explore new and innovative ways of fundraising using our alternative, technology-led framework. Watch this space.

On behalf of the team,

Charles Tan
Co-Founder
The GIVEN Company

WOTC - Asset enhancement policy

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is asset enhancement in HDB flats a good policy?

Here are the responses: (23 Votes)

43 % - The HDB flat should be treated as a home, and not as an investment.
30 % - It increased the cost of housing and burden for younger people.
17 % - It is bad for the govt to encourage people to over-invest in housing.
9 % - It helped many owners to realize profit on their HDB flats.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=918