Just hike fare and get over with it lah! Why go through the wayang? What will the Peasants do? Btw, how many cases of passengers being overcharged cos the readers are faulty per day? How many of the cheats are FTrash?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Those who don't play fare
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>About 250 people caught cheating daily, most of them bus commuters </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Maria Almenoar
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->CHEATING is a common occurrence on Singapore's roads.
While the spotlight in recent months has been on bus commuters who skip out on fares, Singaporeans also cheat when it comes to carpark coupons, taxi fares, off-peak car licences and train fares.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
Their cheating ways
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>About 250 people cheat each day, according to public transport companies and government agencies. That translates into more than 90,000 a year.
The majority of them are bus commuters, though there are also many taxi passengers and car owners.
It is a tidal wave that keeps people such as Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer John Woo busy.
The 32-year-old, who rides a motorcycle, has to catch drivers who try to get the better of the system by using their weekend cars outside the allowed hours without a valid licence, among other things.
'We really need to be vigilant,' said Mr Woo, who has been nabbing errant motorists for eight years.
This year, an average of 110 motorists have been caught each month cheating with their off-peak supplementary licences, the LTA said.
The majority use invalid licences while the rest either tamper with the licences or brazenly drive outside the allowed hours.
The Housing Board (HDB) and the Urban Development Authority (URA), which between them run most of the public carpark lots in Singapore, have also seen their fair share of drivers trying to get around the system.
Their officers deal with about 30 cases of coupon parking cheats every month. Despite fines of up to $300, motorists still try to pull a fast one on the authorities by folding back the tabs on parking coupons rather than tearing them off.
However, the 30 cases do not include motorists who do not have enough carpark coupons or who fail to display them. The HDB and URA consider these motorists just 'forgetful'.
Meanwhile, the number of taxi passengers who cheat on their fares has risen sharply in the last year, reported the largest taxi company here, ComfortDelGro.
There has been an average of 134 cases a month this year, up from 85 a month last year.
Still, the most common offenders are bus commuters, who account for about 238 of the 250 cheats reported every day.
Heavier penalties imposed on bus fare cheats since July are, however, bringing the numbers down.
Train commuters constitute a small number of fare cheats because it is hard to pass the gantries without tapping the farecards on the readers.
Some adult cheats, though, use passes meant for children to avoid paying the full fare.
This year, there have been fewer than 30 cheating cases up till July - or four a month - according to figures by SBS Transit, which runs the North-East Line. Figures from SMRT are unavailable for this year. Last year, both public transport operators saw an average of 105 cases a month.
While these errant commuters and motorists are hoping to shave a few dollars or cents off their ride, the net result may well be higher fares for everyone else.
Said Mr Looi Teik Soon, secretary for the Public Transport Council: 'Fare evasion results in fare leakage, which means full-fare paying commuters end up 'subsidising' the fare cheats.'
The scams also lead to big losses for public transport operators, who reported a $9 million loss in revenue last year due to fare cheats. [email protected]
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Those who don't play fare
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>About 250 people caught cheating daily, most of them bus commuters </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Maria Almenoar
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->CHEATING is a common occurrence on Singapore's roads.
While the spotlight in recent months has been on bus commuters who skip out on fares, Singaporeans also cheat when it comes to carpark coupons, taxi fares, off-peak car licences and train fares.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->RELATED LINKS
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->
<!-- Photo Gallery -->
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>About 250 people cheat each day, according to public transport companies and government agencies. That translates into more than 90,000 a year.
The majority of them are bus commuters, though there are also many taxi passengers and car owners.
It is a tidal wave that keeps people such as Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officer John Woo busy.
The 32-year-old, who rides a motorcycle, has to catch drivers who try to get the better of the system by using their weekend cars outside the allowed hours without a valid licence, among other things.
'We really need to be vigilant,' said Mr Woo, who has been nabbing errant motorists for eight years.
This year, an average of 110 motorists have been caught each month cheating with their off-peak supplementary licences, the LTA said.
The majority use invalid licences while the rest either tamper with the licences or brazenly drive outside the allowed hours.
The Housing Board (HDB) and the Urban Development Authority (URA), which between them run most of the public carpark lots in Singapore, have also seen their fair share of drivers trying to get around the system.
Their officers deal with about 30 cases of coupon parking cheats every month. Despite fines of up to $300, motorists still try to pull a fast one on the authorities by folding back the tabs on parking coupons rather than tearing them off.
However, the 30 cases do not include motorists who do not have enough carpark coupons or who fail to display them. The HDB and URA consider these motorists just 'forgetful'.
Meanwhile, the number of taxi passengers who cheat on their fares has risen sharply in the last year, reported the largest taxi company here, ComfortDelGro.
There has been an average of 134 cases a month this year, up from 85 a month last year.
Still, the most common offenders are bus commuters, who account for about 238 of the 250 cheats reported every day.
Heavier penalties imposed on bus fare cheats since July are, however, bringing the numbers down.
Train commuters constitute a small number of fare cheats because it is hard to pass the gantries without tapping the farecards on the readers.
Some adult cheats, though, use passes meant for children to avoid paying the full fare.
This year, there have been fewer than 30 cheating cases up till July - or four a month - according to figures by SBS Transit, which runs the North-East Line. Figures from SMRT are unavailable for this year. Last year, both public transport operators saw an average of 105 cases a month.
While these errant commuters and motorists are hoping to shave a few dollars or cents off their ride, the net result may well be higher fares for everyone else.
Said Mr Looi Teik Soon, secretary for the Public Transport Council: 'Fare evasion results in fare leakage, which means full-fare paying commuters end up 'subsidising' the fare cheats.'
The scams also lead to big losses for public transport operators, who reported a $9 million loss in revenue last year due to fare cheats. [email protected]
