Distance–based fares

Not related to my project, but of some academic interest IMO.

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Something that I've been following somewhat with interest, mainly because it affects my family and I directly! Also a good distraction as I'm now almost done with the URSS project.

There was a poll conducted in popular Singapore web forum. More than 80% of the people who answered the poll said they saw an increase in their transport fares. I am highly sceptical about this as the thread itself was rather politicised, so there exists a fair amount of bias.

However, I'm also highly sceptical of the figures touted by official sources. Foremost is, how did they arrive at the figure quoted?

Indeed, if you were supposed to give such a figure, how would you model and arrive at your answer? 

Next question: Given how people's travel patterns vary hugely, would quoting a % of people who would see a decrease in fares be meaningful?

From a policy perspective though, I will have to say that a move to distance-based fares is a good idea in principle. However, implementing it would be a bitch wouldn't it? There's also the question of bus routes being far from optimal - this is one of the main reasons why I dislike taking buses in general!

: 17 Aug 2010 15:48 |  Tags: Singapore |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem