Isn't it ironic.....don't you think...

[Em Eye]

So lets start another silly thread about life in Singpore.....

I find it ironic that cars have a "caution child on board" signs in their window while the children on board stand in the space between the 2 front seats and generally jump all around the car. Parents/drivers with no regard for their safety expect us to take extra care...

There are many more but lets keep it as 1 per posting.

[uncle_james]

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/74183.asp

Bus fare cheat will end up in jail?
Isn't it too harsh for civilian like us?

The authorities should figure out how a 300million worth of eZlink system still can allow this cheat happen. please refer to here http://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore (By Bus) There is practically no way to cheat as the driver make sures everyone taps on the reader upon entry.

The responsibilities should lay on the bus driver, not the passenger

[jag78]

There is practically no way to cheat as the driver make sures everyone taps on the reader upon entry.

I second that Uncle James...I was quite dismayed the other day because I tapped my card as usual when I boarded the bus. When I was about to alight, the reader beeped loudly to indicate I had to board at the front of the bus. I panicked and thought I had used another card so I scanned that card too-same result. By this time, everyone on the bus and at the bus-stop was staring at the 'cheat'. Really embarrassed now, I rushed to the front to tap my card, but ended up tapping both my cards. Then I had to tap both cards to alight. Must've ended up paying 2x the amount! I racked my head the whole day, trying to figure out if I'd really tapped my card or not, but the driver would've noticed if I hadn't right? Either that, or I'm losing my memory, mind or both Sorry to go off topic Em-Eye...

[uncle_james]

You can go to any MRT station or checkup ezlink website http://www.ezlink.com.sg (there is an online tracking system, i think so...., pardon me, never use that before) to verify your trips

If confirm you have paid double
you can ask for refund...however, you need to fill-up the an application form, pass it to the officer and waiting for them to proces

would u bother to do that?
SBS losing 9M a year due to the fare cheat,
how much did them manage to "covered" when we accidentally paid double?

you dun have to "shy" , when the reader is "tu...tu...tu"
just showing how innocent you are

simple theory, when you are intended to cheat the bas fare,
i dun think you would bother to tap the reader, right?
(you just need to quickly go out of the bus when the bus is stop and the door is open)

PS:
I found out ezlink card will fail also when you having other magnetics card in your wallet (such as a Zone-X game card, or your office access card), this just happen to me today

[madwolfie]

Who's the bigger "cheat"?

[uncle_james]

Who's the bigger "cheat"?

*sigh* is not the matter of who being cheated...
the point is the penalty is harsh for us.

you have to consider how many man-power and effort that
the authorities will spent just to put an offender on procesute....
and this is just a matter 1 or 2 dollars...

if the authorities think it could work like the littering act,
i doubt so...

WHY?
imagine 9m losses 1 year, about 25,000 a day
which is about 25,000 people doing that everyday
(consider each cheat cause 1 dollar)

how to scare off these 25,000 people???

[jag78]

Thanks UJ, but to take a trip there would probably cost me as much so I'd much rather forget about it 8)
What you said about dealing with the cheaters, I believe someone wrote in the ST forum about public pressure. She actually told off someone who tapped the card too soon but he gave the excuse that if he didn't tap the card early he would forget Anyway, she mentioned that if the public was more vigilant, and spoke out to embarrass the perpetrators, they might stop their cheating ways. Not sure how well that'll work because for many of us, apathy is a chronic affliction
Nonetheless, I agree that other ways of dealing with these people can be looked into, as a jailterm, harsh as it may be, is not dealing with the root of the problem, which is the frame of mind that condones cheating. Some others feel the other problem to be addressed is the incessant increase of transport fares. What do you think?

[uncle_james]

hoho ... soli jag, i dun think i can come up something better

If i could, i properly will sell the idea to SBS, and become the next millionaire

However, jailterm is never too good, how about penalty for social volunteering?
first offender, 25 hours of volunteering work
repeat offender, double up the penalty

there are so many volunteering organization do not have enough man-power / social worker...this could be the helping

[Wind In My Hair]

if the public was more vigilant, and spoke out to embarrass the perpetrators, they might stop their cheating ways. Not sure how well that'll work because for many of us, apathy is a chronic affliction

i've noticed several times people who enter, then as they move to the back tap the cards on the exit reader then proceed to their seats for the rest of the journey. i understand that they pay zero since the reader thinks they got off at the same stop they boarded. but i don't speak up cos i'm not sure what good it will do.

i think a simple solution may work. the exit reader for example should be placed outside the exit door (eg through an extension arm each time the door opens). that way you can only register an exit when you're truly off the bus. and if necessary, install one-way turnstiles at the exit so once you go through to get off, you can't run back up the bus from the back door.

[uncle_james]

sound good!
slight change to the location of card reader might work.
even better if the exit door can be the scanner at the same time,
but i think there is some technical diffculties ....