Criticism levelled against SMRT. Justified?
December 19, 2011
Recently, our train system was plunged into a mini crisis with 3 major breakdowns leaving commuters outraged. While many have criticised SMRT, others have leapt to the defence of SMRT saying that Singaporeans have taken things for granted and that we should not be complaining about such a small issue when SMRT has been providing us with reliable service and there are others worse off AKA victims of Typhoon Washi.
Before we go off making any sweeping comments criticising SMRT or its critics, perhaps we should first look at the reasons why people are pissed off regarding the breakdowns.
Firstly, what happened to SMRT’s SOP during breakdowns? During the breakdowns, commuters were simply left in the dark (pun intended) without any explanation. 2 years ago I experienced something similar. Like many other students, I relied on the public transport system to get me to school. On this particular day, I waited extra long for the train. During the wait, no announcement was made nor was any explanation given. It was only after half an hour of waiting that an announcement was made saying that there would be no train service. By then, the platform was filled with disgruntled commuters, many like me had waited long and were probably going to be late. In the end, many had to make alternative (and costlier) transport arrangements. My question back then was ‘why did SMRT keep us waiting for half an hour without any explanation or announcement?’. Fast forward to 2011, it seems that SMRT has not made any reviews or improvements. Commuters are left stranded and clueless for long periods of time during breakdowns. What happened to SMRT’s SOP? Or did they have one at all? Leaving commuters in the dark and waiting to me does not seem appropriate at all. IF they were trying to fix the problem, the least they could have done was to let the commuters know so that commuters can arrange for alternatives if requires instead of making them wait like fools.
In addition, the timing of the breakdowns were not ideal. Firstly, the breakdowns took place during the rush hour. With a large huge amount of people relying on the trains, a breakdown during the peak period would definitely lead to many irate commuters who are unable to get to work/home. Secondly, the breakdowns come after fare revisions and cab fare hikes. With SMRT posting net profits of $161.1 million in 2011, SMRT angered commuters by applying for fare hikes citing rising costs of operation. CEO of SMRT Ms Saw was paid $1.85 million in cash and shares which was an increase of 11% from the previous year. (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/12/restore-the-publics-trust-in-smrt/). Is this SMRT’s ‘rising cost’? With the rising cost of transportation, service is expected to improve of at least maintained. However, 3 major disruptions took place with many other minor ones after the fares were raised. The big question now is ‘how is it justifiable for SMRT to raise its fares?’
(p.s. as I’m typing this, it appears that SMRT has suffered yet another breakdown/delay/train fault)
So does this mean that the commuter’s complains are justified?
Although SMRT is a profit driven organisation, we must not forget the service it provides.SMRT provides PUBLIC transport. In case one is wondering, a public service is usually provided by the government, one that is supposed to be reliable and affordable for the general public as it is the government’s responsibility to take care of its citizens. Even in certain cases, public services are provided at a loss. (Although this may not be the case in certain countries) Certain people are saying that Singaporeans are taking things for granted and that we should not be making a big ho-ha about the breakdown since SMRT has provided us with reliable service for over 20 years. It is in my opinion however that the fact that SMRT is supposed to provide public transport is enough justify people’s complains. Public services are supposed to be reliable and usually seen as the government’s responsibility. If the nation experiences blackouts, no doubt there would be complains even though the power supplier has been providing reliable service in the past. Which brings me to another point which is about past achievements. We should be looking forward, not backwards. Even if SMRT has provided 100 years of reliable services, a breakdown like that would still be gathering complains. Nobody lives on past glory alone. Getting consistent A’s in your exams and failing your finals would still guarantee that you’re pretty much screwed. A government that has been corruption free should remain corruption free. It doesn’t meant that a momentary slip up should be allowed to happen and if it happens that people aren’t allowed to complain about it.
As a paying commuter, I believe that commuters do have a right to complain about the breakdowns. When purchasing products, if it does not deliver its promise or is faulty, a customer has the right to complain. In this case, commuters are paying for a service which failed to deliver. Furthermore, it is a service that many citizens rely on to commute to work/school. It is no unexpected that the backlash would be huge.
Personally, I do believe that the commuter’s do have the right to complain and that people thinking that they are overreacting and have taken things for granted, perhaps now you see things in a new light. People are not overreacting, neither is it too big a ho-ha. People have not taken things for granted but maybe now you will see why they are so pissed.
