The Public Transport Council (PTC) is an independent regulatory statutory board under the Ministry of Transport – with the focus on “independent”.
So why is it trying to guilt respondents in a survey into supporting a fare increases?
Some survey respondents have condemned the wording of some questions in a recent PTC survey which, according to them, are tantamount to emotional blackmail.
One of the questions states that that fares today “cannot fully support the cost of running public transport”.
It then goes on to ask:
“Every extra dollar that the Government spends on public transport means one dollar less for education and healthcare. Knowing this, how much more are you willing to pay per trip for your fare?”
It would take a Singaporean who has no civic consciousness at all to answer “zero”, seeing how the loaded question is worded.
Naturally, questions have been raised as to whether the PTC is deliberately trying to put respondents in tight spot so that it can justify a fare hike.
Some have asked why tax dollars to the tune of over S$1 million could not have been saved for public transport purposes by sacking disgraced ex-Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin when his affair with a fellow PAP MP came to light in 2020.
