Questions to ask your PAP MP

[True Believer]

Ask your MP who is a minister:

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: New options for booking ride-hailing services do not serve parents well​

Dec 09, 2024

I refer to the article “Ride-hailing passengers can now request child seats, extra boot space for wheelchairs” (Dec 4).

As my wife and I are safety-conscious, we take pains to install car seats for our children (a two-year-old and a three-month-old) as much as possible in taxis and private-hire vehicles (PHVs).

This normally takes about five to 10 minutes before each trip, but we have decided to do this even at the risk of being charged the waiting time.

I do not intend to use any of the so-called new services because they do not serve parents at all. There are numerous reasons.

First, they are all more expensive. It beggars belief that the ride-hailing options have chosen to charge more for providing a booster seat for a child. Only toddlers and older children are catered for and infants are not. For a simple 10km ride, one can expect to pay $2 more.

Second, they are not always available. One has to endure longer booking times.

We have sought to travel with our own car seats because the booking time is a big issue.


Third, safety. Research has shown that rear-facing seats are far safer for toddlers. A simple booster seat is not the way to go.

The law is also complicated. Taxis are allowed to ferry children without a car seat but PHVs are not allowed to.

It is legally possible for a taxi to take six children. Yet there are no taxis with six seat belts. One wonders how this legal option can play out in reality.

PHV drivers have long complained about this imbalance. With more PHVs than taxis now, it is time to relook this.

Overall, since I became a parent, I have found the public transport experience for those with children disappointing.

I sympathise with those who argue that there should be a separate certificate of entitlement category for people with young children or family members with a disability.

Tan Yee Kiat

 

[True Believer]

Please ask Malaysian-born PAP MP, Janil Arusha Puthucheary why he has not served full-time NS.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: How is public transport access determined for older estates?​

Mar 13, 2025, 05:00 AM

I live in the Seletar Hills estate, which is over 60 years old, with many residents in their 70s or 80s. I relocated here 15 years ago and recall it took over three years for a service 50 bus route (Ang Mo Kio and Bishan) to be started for us.

When I read the article “5 new bus services to ply Kent Ridge, Hougang, Boon Lay, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Mayflower areas” (March 10), I wondered how providing public transportation access to Singapore estates is determined, in particular for older estates comprising ageing communities.

The authorities have said demand for new bus services has to be monitored before a decision is made. Meanwhile, to get to Buangkok MRT station, the nearest one to our estate, residents have to take two buses.

David Wong Yeng Kin

 

[True Believer]

Forum: How is public transport access determined for older estates?
I live in the Seletar Hills estate, which is over 60 years old, with many residents in their 70s or 80s. I relocated here 15 years ago and recall it took over three years for a service 50 bus route (Ang Mo Kio and Bishan) to be started for us. When I read the article “5 new bus services to ply Kent Ridge, Hougang, Boon Lay, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Mayflower areas” (March 10), I wondered how providing public transportation access to Singapore estates is determined, in particular for older estates comprising ageing communities. The authorities have said demand for new bus services has to be monitored before a decision is made. Meanwhile, to get to Buangkok MRT station, the nearest one to our estate, residents have to take two buses.
David Wong Yeng Kin

The PAP does not care about seniors who are no longer taxpayers.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Make it easier to get a ride at taxi stands​

Mar 17, 2025

I refer to the article “New measures may help taxi firms grow fleets but don’t tackle problem of street-hail availability” (March 13), and want to relate my recent experience.

I am 80. After my day surgery at the National University Hospital last week ended at around 8pm, I joined the queue at the taxi stand in front of the main block to go home. There were fewer than 10 people, mostly elderly, in the queue.

Not many taxis stopped at the taxi stand, and when they did, they were always on call.

I queued in the evening wind for about half an hour, and realised as it grew later that I had little chance of getting a taxi ride.

Even though I was feeling weak, I dragged myself to the nearby MRT station to go home, despite dreading the idea of the 15-minute walk home after the train ride.

I have some suggestions to make.

Have a call button or some device at popular taxi stands for passengers to alert taxis in the area that there are people waiting at the stands.


Make it mandatory for taxis to pick up fares at hospital taxi stands first before they take on any bookings from there.

Raise the taxi fares at high-traffic areas to be on a par with on-call rides. If there are two people who need a taxi, you cannot blame the taxi driver for picking the one willing to pay more.

Chan Siu Yung

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: No success for single applying for HDB flat after 10 tries​

Apr 01, 2025

For the past three years, I have been diligently applying for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat under the singles scheme. I have submitted at least 10 applications, yet each attempt has ended in disappointment.

While I understand that demand for public housing is high and families are prioritised, the current balloting system appears to put singles at a distinct disadvantage.

Up till recently, singles could apply for only two-room flexi flats in non-mature estates. Even with the changes made to allow singles to apply for two-room flexi flats across all types of BTO projects, the odds of securing a flat are still low, with thousands of applicants competing for these units.

To make the BTO application process more equitable for singles, the Housing Board could consider the following improvements:

- Increase the supply of two-room flexi flats

With the growing number of singles in Singapore, it is time to allocate more units to meet the demand.

- Introduce a priority scheme for repeat applicants

Just as families with young children receive additional ballot chances, singles who have applied unsuccessfully multiple times should be given some form of priority.

- Greater transparency in the balloting process

Applicants should have clearer insights into whether certain factors influence the outcome. Providing a clearer breakdown of application statistics would help manage expectations.

- Consider allowing singles to apply for three-room flats

While families will always take precedence, permitting singles to ballot for three-room flats in selected estates could provide additional pathways for home ownership.

Home ownership is a fundamental aspiration for many Singaporeans, regardless of their marital status. If the Government’s commitment to making public housing affordable and accessible includes all citizens, then the system must evolve to reflect the changing demographics and needs of our society.

Tuan Ming Lee

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Bus driver continued journey even though air-conditioning was not working​

Apr 09, 2025

I had the misfortune of boarding SBS service 121 on April 3 around 7.20pm.

It was only after it had left the bus stop that I realised there was no air-conditioning and no opening for ventilation.

When the bus driver confirmed that the air-conditioning was not working and that the service was continuing, I asked if he could open the doors for ventilation.

He said the doors could be opened only at bus stops.

I decided to endure the ride till it reached my destination at Tiong Bahru MRT station, given the heavy downpour and my lack of familiarity with the bus route in the dark.

With my history of asthma, I did my best and pulled out a fan to circulate the air around me.

But the lack of air circulation got to me and I had to get off at some remote stop.

No satisfactory response came from SBS Transit following my report of the incident.

The bus driver should have stopped as soon as possible and not allowed any boarding once the air-conditioning broke down.

SBS should take steps to prevent something like this from happening again and not just apologise for any distress or inconvenience caused.

Molly Lim

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: No success for single applying for HDB flat after 10 tries​

Apr 01, 2025

For the past three years, I have been diligently applying for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat under the singles scheme. I have submitted at least 10 applications, yet each attempt has ended in disappointment.

While I understand that demand for public housing is high and families are prioritised, the current balloting system appears to put singles at a distinct disadvantage.

Up till recently, singles could apply for only two-room flexi flats in non-mature estates. Even with the changes made to allow singles to apply for two-room flexi flats across all types of BTO projects, the odds of securing a flat are still low, with thousands of applicants competing for these units.

To make the BTO application process more equitable for singles, the Housing Board could consider the following improvements:

- Increase the supply of two-room flexi flats

With the growing number of singles in Singapore, it is time to allocate more units to meet the demand.

- Introduce a priority scheme for repeat applicants

Just as families with young children receive additional ballot chances, singles who have applied unsuccessfully multiple times should be given some form of priority.

- Greater transparency in the balloting process

Applicants should have clearer insights into whether certain factors influence the outcome. Providing a clearer breakdown of application statistics would help manage expectations.

- Consider allowing singles to apply for three-room flats

While families will always take precedence, permitting singles to ballot for three-room flats in selected estates could provide additional pathways for home ownership.

Home ownership is a fundamental aspiration for many Singaporeans, regardless of their marital status. If the Government’s commitment to making public housing affordable and accessible includes all citizens, then the system must evolve to reflect the changing demographics and needs of our society.

Tuan Ming Lee

Apr 09, 2025

I thank the Housing Board for its reply “More 2-room HDB flexi flats to meet demand from first-timer singles” (April 7) to my letter “No success for single applying for HDB flat after 10 tries” (April 1).

However, I would like to address two of the suggestions it offered – namely, to apply for projects with lower application rates and to consider the resale market with grants.

First, the recommendation to choose Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in areas with lower application rates, such as Jurong West or Queenstown, may sound practical, but it does not consider the constraints that many singles face.

For some of us, our livelihoods, caregiving responsibilities or access to essential services are closely tied to specific regions.

Moving to a location simply because the application rate is lower may disrupt our lives.

Furthermore, even within those developments, the number of two-room flexi units for singles is small, and the odds remain slim.

Second, the resale market is not a feasible alternative for many singles. While HDB points out that grants of up to $115,000 are available, the reality is that resale flats – especially in mature estates – are often priced two or three times more than a comparable BTO unit.


In my case, I am eligible for only one of the three grants, making the cost gap even wider.

Even with maximum subsidies, resale flats remain out of reach for singles who earn modest incomes and do not have the benefit of dual-income households.

I hope HDB can better recognise the real-life challenges that many single applicants face – financial constraints, limited options and repeated balloting disappointments – and consider refining the system. Making the process more equitable, such as by introducing priority schemes for long-time unsuccessful applicants, would be a good start.

Tuan Ming Lee

 

[True Believer]

Forum: Bus driver continued journey even though air-conditioning was not working
It was only after it had left the bus stop that I realised there was no air-conditioning and no opening for ventilation. I decided to endure the ride till it reached my destination at Tiong Bahru MRT station, given the heavy downpour and my lack of familiarity with the bus route in the dark. With my history of asthma, I did my best and pulled out a fan to circulate the air around me.
But the lack of air circulation got to me and I had to get off at some remote stop. The bus driver should have stopped as soon as possible and not allowed any boarding once the air-conditioning broke down.
Molly Lim

Does the writer know how many complaints would be made to SBS if the driver had bypassed all the bus stops w/o allowing any commuters to board a bus that is on the road? What happens when he stops to permit passengers to alight, but prevent others from boarding? Molly shouldn't be so self-centred and feel so entitled.