ticket to ride

PRETTY soon, public transport commuters in Singapore will be told of a new formula on which annual bus and train fare adjustments will be based.

The previous formula, which is pegged largely to inflation rate, has been in use since 2005. The panel which devised it said it would be reviewed after three years.

So, it has been three years. Time flies when you're taking the bus. What will the new formula be?

Before attempting at some educated guesses, it might be interesting to note that if the previous recipe were to be applied, fares will be spiking pretty sharply this year. And quite likely, for the years to come.

That's because inflation, if you haven't noticed, is at its scariest in over 20 years. And with the price of oil fuelling price increases in everything from petrol to rice to plastic forks, chances are that inflation will stay up.

But the folks at the Public Transport Council are probably aware of that. And they are also probably aware that there is really no dire need to raise fares sharply to prevent the duopolistic public transport industry from going under.

The last we checked, the two players - ComfortDelGro Corp and SMRT Corp - are posting record profits, despite high energy and other running costs.

Why? Simply because more people are taking trains and buses. If you have been commuting like I have been, you will know that the two vehicular modes (don't you just love big words?) are pretty packed. Even during offpeak hours.

I was in New York City two weeks ago, and took the subway quite extensively. Although the trains were far smaller than ours, they did not seem as crowded. Neither were the buses. And I took them all hours of the day.

New Yorkers commute quite a lot. But because the city's 100-plus year-old subway system is so extensive and expansive, it is able to cope easily with the huge rider population.

I have commuted in Hong Kong and Tokyo too, but not frequently enough to qualify a comment here. Although I was once caught in a Tokyo subway crush (and the word is used literally here) - and the experience was hellish.

My body, my face and my whole being were pressed against another living, breathing human being. The fact that it was a young woman did not lessen the trauma of having your rib cage depressed each time the train stopped and started.

But I digress. So the two transport giants here are quite profitable (in fact, they have been for yonks - only more so now). And people are feeling the pinch of inflation (or in the case of folks who rely on public transport, the punch of inflation).

Do we want to stick to the old formula of adjusting fares? The answer is quite clear.

But what would (or should) the new formula be? If I may be so bold, it should be based on how well the operators serve the public. A fare formula pegged to service level is applied in countries such as Britain and Australia. Whether directly or indirectly, states and counties there reward operators who manage to attract more riders, who are punctual, who are clean, who are safe, who are reliable, etc.

Dare Singapore adopt this method? It would entail a lot more work for the PTC than the previous mathematical formula, for sure. But it would be a fairer fare formula.

By extension, why have a fare formula at all? Why not let the operators earn their buck by drawing more customers? Logically, they would do this by being more efficient and user-friendly. If people - including car owners - see that public transport is quick and painless, I guarantee they would rush to use it.

Maybe even voluntarily packing into trains and buses like sardines.